Metal Dragon
by Yndilwen
Summary: She was going to make herself big! That's what Levy McGarden decided once they had returned from Tenrou Island. As if that wasn't enough to worry about, a strange sort of feeling started to creep up on her every time she was near a certain someone... **Please make sure you've watched the Tenrou Island Arc before reading this.** LevyxGajeel Hinted NatsuxLucy, GrayxJuvia
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: All his Fault!

Seven years is an awfully long time to be away. I had completely lost my sense of time. Droy and Jet were now so much older than me, so were the other wizards that were left at Fairy Tail while we were gone on our s-class mage promotion trial.

I had had a lot of things to think about as soon as I got back, like what I was going to do to prevent the events of the trials from repeating themselves. I was not going to sit by and watch as my comrades fall beside me again. I had been so terribly useless! What had I been able to do to help Gajeel while he fought off those two wizards from Grimoire Heart? Nothing! I had been absolutely useless!

" _So you don't care what happens to me?"_

" _I 'aint said that!"_

" _But you just fight with everything… you don't think anything of me! Nothing at all…"_

" _Oh so that's it? You think you can take me on little one? Then you'd better get big and strong to face me head on!"_

" _I'm weak… that's just how it is. I'm small…"_

" _Sheesh you got better things to do than get depressed…"  
_ He'd never understood me. All he'd ever been was some hard-hearted dragon who's only interest was fighting. What had I expected? How could someone who was raised by a dragon even understand feelings like worry or compassion, never mind love…?

Those were the things that preoccupied me while I sat in front of the guild, watching the chickens run around their pen. Those were the things that robbed me of the peace of mind I needed to be able to read again like I used to. To be honest I hadn't touched a single book since my return to Magnolia, or well, in this case its outskirts.

" _What's wrong with him? And I thought maybe he wasn't so bad. He's such a jerk… I hate him… I hate him! I hate him..."_

But he'd saved me… and part of me hated him for it. I wanted to be mad at him for having been so reckless! I wanted to be mad at him for making me worry so much! But most of all… I hated myself for having let him get that injured.

While he'd been lying there battered and unconscious at our base camp on Tenrou Island and the Grimoire Heart wizards had come to attack us, I had been so incredibly desperate! The only thing that I had wanted in that moment was to protect him! I just had to! But then, the others did most of the work… I was useless again. I had been just like those girls in the novels that could do nothing on their own. They would always rely on some guy to protect them. He had promised to make me big… but it was my own responsibility to become big, to grow strong. How could I have been foolish enough to believe that Gajeel would magically make me stronger?

I felt tears come to my eyes. How silly of me to sit here and feel sorry for myself! It was over so why did it preoccupy me like it did? Why did I feel like it was pushing down on my chest, robbing me of the air I needed to breathe?

 _It's tough finding someone as small as you… so don't leave my side!_

I covered my face with my hands as tears began to run down my flushed cheeks and a pitiful sob escaped my throat. It was all his fault! It was because of him that I was feeling this way! What was he thinking saying those kinds of things to me in the middle of a battle, right after saving my life?

Stupid, stupid Gajeel!

"Levy?" I gasped quietly, not having expected anyone to be out here with me. They were all inside, celebrating our return… how could anyone have noticed that I was gone? But a certain celestial wizard had and somehow I was glad that she was the one coming to check on me. "I saw you leave and thought you were just going out for some fresh air but then you didn't come back."

"Guess I'm not really in the mood to celebrate." I admitted, making space on the rock that I was sitting on so that she could join me. "Have you been crying?!" Lucy gasped, scanning my face worriedly. "Guess so." I admitted, playing with the ends of my orange dress nervously. How was I going to explain all of this to her? I hardly understood how I was feeling myself! "Do you wanna talk about it?" She shifted her eyes away from me, probably to give me some time to consider her offer, watching the setting sun instead. "Things have just gotten so messed up." I admitted, watching the sunset now too. At least that was something that hadn't changed in those seven years: the sun still set in much the same way as it had back then. It was comforting to know that I was still looking at the same sun and was still going to see the same stars soon. "You know," Lucy took a moment to think about what she was going to say, letting out a content sigh right before starting her sentence, "I guess I get what you're saying but some amazing things have happened too. Romeo has gone and gotten all grown up now, we're still alive and we all made it back to Fairy Tail that still exists even without having had Master Makarov around over the past seven years." A moment of silence followed in which I processed what she was saying, trying my hardest to think only of the positive things she was listing up for me, "On top of that, don't you think we've grown so much closer and so much stronger? Every time we face an enemy that seems far too powerful to defeat we grow that much closer together. I think it's because of that that we manage to overcome every challenge: because we grow during that struggle not as a team, but as a family."

"But what if I haven't grown at all?" I felt my cheeks warm up. Why was I admitting to this? "I tried _so hard_ to protect Gajeel but-."

"Did Gajeel die?" I frowned. What was she getting at? What did that have to do with my strength?

"No…"

"And did he defeat those Grimoire Heart wizards?"

"Yes but-."

"Didn't you do enough then?" She smiled at me, probably finding the confused look on my face amusing, "Gajeel fought those people to defend you. You were the one who gave him the strength to do that."

"He had been looking for a fight the whole time!" I felt my temper rise a little just thinking about how selfish Gajeel had been, "The only reason he fought so hard was because he had finally gotten the fight he had been looking for."

"Somehow I don't think so... Back when he first joined the guild I probably would have said the same but… not anymore." The smile had fallen off her features while I had been speaking and I must say, I missed it somehow. "He only partnered with me so that he could beat up Erza or Natsu, he even said so himself!" Again I felt tears want to come to my eyes but I refused to cry about this, especially in front of Lu-chan. "If that was the only thing he had been out for, don't you think he would have teamed up with someone else?"

" _I'll make you big."_

I closed my eyes for a moment, forcing the memory of him saying that out of my mind. What was wrong with me? Why couldn't I just forget all of that?!

"Give him a chance." Lucy draped her arm over my shoulder, pulling me closer to her to comfort me. Was it that obvious that I felt as though I was losing my mind? "One chance." I bit down on my bottom lip, "And you better believe that I'm gonna get him back for all those stupid comments he threw at me during the whole trial!"  
"Now that's the Levy I know." Lucy giggled, squeezing me gently, "You show 'em."

"I will." I felt a smile spread across my face. It felt good to smile again and I knew it was all thanks to Lucy that it was happening.

 _I'm gonna make myself big!_

It was strange how normal everything felt despite it being the exact opposite. Somehow even though we'd missed seven years, it didn't quite feel like it. Sure some people had gotten older and two specific wizards had gotten married and had a child, which pretty much knocked Erza out when she heard it, but…. They were still the same people as before. Droy and Jet hadn't changed one bit either. Okay maybe they'd become even clingier since I'd been back and sure Droy did gain some weight but they were still the same Droy and Jet as before.

"Let me take that for you." The books I had been carrying were lifted out of my hands immediately without him having waited for me to decline his offer. With a huge smile, Droy carried my books over to a table that stood a little to the side of the tavern hall, making it a good place to read. "Thanks Droy." I shot him a short smile, "That's really nice of you."  
"Sure thing Levy!" He nodded, sitting down at the table and waiting for me to join him, "Jet and I are just so glad that you're back."

That's right… I had been gone for seven years. It had only felt like a moment for me but these two were all alone for seven whole years! "I'm really sorry that you had to go through that." I traced the pattern on one of the books with my eyes, feeling the need to distract myself. "It's okay." He continued to smile like a fool, "It wasn't your fault you know?"

"I suppose." I nodded before opening one of the books, getting out my glasses and reading a little.

"So wait." I heard Natsu speak up, "You can use fire magic too now?" He was talking to little Romeo who was showing off his flames proudly. "Yup! All sorts of different ones!"  
"That 'aint too bad for a kid." My head snapped up involuntarily. It was only after he had spoken that I noticed that that iron-head was actually sitting at the table with Natsu and Romeo and he… was smiling. There was no point in denying that I felt myself smiling too after a few seconds and that I was glad to see him smile again, even if it was just a little. "What happened on that island?" Droy's voice brought me back to reality and I cleared my throat, looking away and at Droy instead. He looked uncomfortable to me, his chubby cheeks having gained a rather prominent red tinge. "A lot." I laughed but realized that that was not the answer he was looking for, "Well at first the trials went well," I started my tale, finding it almost surreal to be talking about it again, as if it had all just been a dream and not reality, "Right in the middle of the second round we were ambushed by Grimoire Heat."

"Gajeel was your partner right?" I nodded, realizing only then that he had actually wanted to know about that part in particular. He'd probably heard the rest from Master Makarov by now anyway, "Did he at least protect you?"

"Yes." I let my eyes drift to the dragon slayer again, "He did protect me."

"Did he try take advantage of the situation?"

"What? No!" I felt my mouth twist into some sort of squiggly line that I couldn't really associate with a certain feeling. What was Droy thinking? That Gajeel and I had gotten together because he helped me? Yes he saved me and yes that was… pretty… amazing… but! That didn't mean that I would turn into some Juvia-double and run after him hoping to get his attention! He had done what any other Fairy Tail member would have done!

I frowned.

 _That's right… he only did what everyone would have done._ Why did that leave a sour taste in my mouth? Why had I hoped that he'd done it for me and not due to his loyalty towards Fairy Tail?

Oh this was just ridiculous! I was thinking about it again! If things kept going like this I'd _never_ get anywhere, never mind become stronger!

 _Stupid Gajeel… it's all his fault!_

That same day Lucy and Natsu were standing at our request board, scrutinizing the few jobs we were being offered. To say the least, Fairy Tail had lost a lot of members, our old guild hall and loads of jobs so getting it all started again would prove to be a long journey. "What about this one?" Natsu pointed at one, giving Lucy a very enthusiastic look. Said girl sighed, shaking her head. "I'm gonna go with this one." She tore a flyer off, holding it up for Natsu to see. "Alright!" Natsu's eyes lit up, "A wanted criminal? That's so cool!"

After about ten minutes they had established that they were going to a ball that the man who had offered them the job was holding in order to catch the criminal. "But I can't dance!" Natsu whined so loudly that everyone's attention was drawn to the two of them. "That's no problem, I can teach you." Lucy smiled gently, taking his hand and leading him outside. Okay so this was something everyone had to see! As a result, we were all making our way outside to watch Natsu and Lucy dance.

But as was normal for Fairy Tail, everyone ended up joining in. Lucy dancing with one of her celestial spirits, Natsu with Lisanna, Erza with Elfman right before said man threw up and me… well I was standing on the sidelines, watching everyone dance. Don't get me wrong, it didn't bother me _that_ much but somehow, as I watched everyone dance and laugh, I did wish I could join in. "Hey." I jumped a little, not being able to recall at what point Gajeel had come to stand next to me. His arms were crossed and his eyes were seemingly on the crowd of dancing guild members while in reality he was looking at me from the corner of his eye, "Just so you know: I 'aint dancing!"

"Well that's fine!" I felt myself frown, "Because no one asked you to!"  
"We'll dance with you Levy!" Droy and Jet hurried over to me, both trying to grab my hand but both failing miserably at it seeing as they were wrestling each other at the same time. I sighed. Things really hadn't changed that much at all… Looks like I wasn't going to have a dance partner after all. I was so busy paying attention to Jet and Droy that it startled me when a hand reached in, taking my hand firmly and pulling me towards him. It was Gajeel. "Well," He averted his eyes almost like a sulking child, "Seems like I don't have much of a choice since you insist."

"I didn't say anything!" I protested but found myself following his lead nonetheless. Do you know that feeling when you dance with someone and it just fits? Well that was _totally_ not what it felt like with Gajeel! Even if it had felt that way… I am just not going to go there! I watched his face a little while we danced, noticing that he seemed to be feeling uncomfortable. What I also noticed was that his cheeks were decorated with a hardly visible tint of red. I'd say it almost suited him. Well it definitely made him seem more human and less dragon. Why did he seem so uncomfortable though? Was it because he was dancing or because he was dancing with me? _It doesn't matter._ I told myself, trying to expel the negative thoughts from my mind. "You're not so bad." I complimented him, taking a moment to concentrate on the feeling of his hand resting against my lower back. "Thanks. Same goes for you Squid."

"I wish you wouldn't call me that."

"And since when do I listen to what you tell me to do?" Granted… He never had but still! Couldn't it be different this time? Despite my frustration I felt a tiny little tug at the corners of my mouth and I shook my head a little at how much of a jerk Gajeel could be. _Whatever._ I let it drop, settling on concentrating more on the feeling of dancing with Gajeel. To be honest, I never thought that he could be so gentle and to say the least, it impressed me, if not reassured me in some way.

 _Stupid…_ My hand tightened around his shoulder and for the first time since we'd started dancing, he looked at me, his crimson eyes studying my brown ones carefully, _Stupid Gajeel…_ And seconds later a silly grin forced its way onto my face.

It was, after all, still all his fault!


	2. Chapter 2: Rain

_Hey guys! So since I'm bringing in some of the other pairings in Fairy Tail, some chapters will involve some of the other characters~ I really hope you enjoy :)  
_

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 **Chapter 2: Rain**

My tired body hit the ground with a loud crash. I groaned, rolling onto my back, hoping that that would stop my body from aching so much. "Are you sure you want to continue like this Levy?" Jet came to sit next to me on the soft grass and it was only a matter of time before Droy had done the same. We were sitting in Magnolia Southgate Park close to the embankment that led up to the road. I took a moment to look at the tree against which Gajeel had pinned the three of us. Then my eyes wandered to the spot where Gajeel had stood when protecting me against the careless attack Laxus had fired. "I want to be stronger." I clarified for what felt like the tenth time that day, shifting my eyes back to the boys. Why did Droy and Jet not understand where I was coming from? "Since when do you care about strength?"

"I want to have the strength to protect the ones dear to me." I answered Jet's question before I closed my eyes and lay down on my back, enjoying the breeze that caressed my skin gently, "I don't want to have to sit by and watch all the time, especially when things go wrong. I want to make a difference."

"But Levy," I opened my eyes again. Droy looked almost panicked to me, as if he was afraid that I was about to do something that was going to change me forever, "You make a difference!"

" _And did he defeat those Grimoire Heart wizards?"_

" _Yes but-."_

" _Didn't you do enough then?"_

"Somehow," I pushed the thoughts I was having out of my mind, "I doubt that I make that much of a difference."

"You know, without the support of his friends, Natsu would never have become as strong as he is now." Jet was trying a different approach it seems, one that he knew would work on me, and it did, "Knowing that so many people think of you and care for you can make such a big difference. What we lack in strength we make up for in heart and conviction. Levy, you're the same." Jet put his hand on my shoulder, squeezing it gently, "You never used to worry about strength so much."  
"Instead," Droy continued for Jet, "you concentrated on doing your best. You've never had to be strong to make a difference because you already _do_ make a difference! You're smart, caring and supportive and if anyone says otherwise they'll have to deal with us!"

"Yeah Droy's right Levy! I bet Gajeel made you feel this way didn't he?"

"Now, now." I was smiling again, and somehow it felt so good to be able to do that again: to smile with Jet and Droy like the old days, "Let's not have you two pick a fight with him again."  
"We won't." The two promised in unison, both looking very sorry to me, probably remembering the speech I'd given them after seeing how badly Gajeel had been hurt by Laxus. With a sigh, both boys joined me in lying down, both shooting a glance at me and smiling when they saw that I was smiling again.

For a while none of us said a thing, we simply lay there together, watching the clouds above us sneak along the sky as though they believed that no-one could see them. "Hey that one looks like a chicken wing!" Droy pointed at a cloud that hovered to the left of us. Jet and I tried to see what Droy was seeing, really we did but somehow… it just looked like a big bunch of cotton candy to me and nothing like a chicken wing. "You're far too food-focused." Jet laughed, crossing his arms behind his head to lean on them, "What about that one?" He pointed at another cloud, smiling as he explained that it looked to him like Happy's head. This time I could sort of see what he was seeing… well with a lot of imagination but it worked right? "It's been so long." I was the first to reminisce a little, thinking of how the three of us used to find ourselves a hill to lie on and watch the clouds back when we were younger. It was shortly after the two boys had asked me to join their Team Shadow Gear. They had both been convinced that I was far too weak to be in such a 'cool' team, but I sure showed them. "It has." Both boys sighed. It was nice to wind down a little again. Maybe I really had been too uptight ever since we returned from Tenrou Island but why? Why did it get to me so much? Why did it bother me that Gajeel had told me to get all strong and big before facing him head on if I want his acknowledgement? That just sucked! He was such a damn jerk for going and saying it like that! I am so totally not weak! I was chosen for the s-class mage promotion trial! That meant something right?

 _There I go again..._ Why did I let this happen every time? Why couldn't I just stay cool and collected thinking about it? It was just Gajeel so where was the problem? I didn't have to be stronger than Gajeel to be good enough! I was smarter than Gajeel! _Way_ smarter than Gajeel so that made us equally matched. Well maybe not in his eyes seeing as all that matters to him is brute strength. I smiled, closing my eyes and letting the warmth of the sun soak into me and my aching muscles. _One day…_ I felt my smile fade away slowly, _I'll make him acknowledge me._ That was the last thing that ran through my mind before the sun's warmth carried me off to sleep, into a world where I felt that I was strong enough to protect that, which is most important to me.

I closed the front door of Fairy Hills behind me quietly, not wanting to attract any unnecessary attention. I stayed standing in the entrance hall for a moment, trying to imagine what it must have been like around here with all of us missing. What I still couldn't quite wrap my head around was that they hadn't touched our stuff or rented our rooms out to other people in all those years. It was almost as if they had known that we would come back but seven years is a long time to wait for someone. With a sigh I managed to force my aching legs to move, which they did, but not without protest. I groaned. Training had been such a dumb idea! How had I imagined it to work? That I train once and walk up to Gajeel, challenge him and somehow win? Yeah right… I keep forgetting that Gajeel is a Dragon Slayer just like Natsu and tends to kick everyone's butts. By the time the realization hit me that I'll probably never measure up to Gajeel, I was standing in front of my door, staring at its brown wood thoughtfully. I was about to unlock my door when a strangely familiar sound filled my ears. Someone was crying. I followed the sound to one of the doors, realizing that behind it, lay Juvia's room.

"Hey Juvia?" I knocked on the door gently. As soon as I had, the crying stopped but I was yet to get more than that as a response, "Hey open up the door would you?" Again I knocked, "I really need to talk to you." Moments later the door clicked open and I was permitted entry. Juvia's room was neatly kept. It had a green couch standing by a small white coffee table close to the door. The whole arrangement was standing on a round orange and white rug. On the far side of the room she had her four-poster-bed with a blue duvet and… well what a surprise… a Gray doll sitting atop the duvet. When my eyes shifted to the walls, I found numerous paintings of Gray hanging on them for Juvia to admire. Somehow it creeped me out to see how obsessed she was with him. Then my eyes fell on Juvia who was sitting on the green armchair opposite the couch, crying. She had placed a small tissue box on the white coffee table that was littered with several used tissues. Contrary to what she always wore in the guild, now she was sitting there in a beautiful blue dress that reached down to just above her knees. _Did she run to the door and then run back to where she's sitting now?_ I couldn't help but find her a little strange sometimes but it was Juvia, one had learnt to love her for her strange ticks. "What's wrong Juvia?" I closed the door behind me before hurrying to the couch, taking a seat opposite to her. "Juvia is sad." She muttered, blowing her nose again just after she'd spoken.

"Well why though?" I tapped against the seat next to me on the couch, gesturing for her to come and join me and she did, bringing her little tissue box with her. "Well Juvia is so sick and tired!" She started, fidgeting with an unused tissue almost nervously, "Juvia keeps trying to impress Gray but somehow I don't manage."

"Oh now don't go say that!" I put my arm around her shoulder to comfort her, "Why are you trying to impress him Juvia? You guys are friends and he cares for you, that much is certain."

"But if Juvia doesn't manage to impress Gray, he will look at other girls instead." Was this how she really thought? Was this what Juvia did when she thought no-one was watching? Did it hurt her this much? Part of me wanted to be angry with Gray for making her suffer so much but he didn't know better, so it would be wrong of me to blame it all on him. "Is it that much of a burden for you?" I frowned sadly, watching endless tears roll down her flushed face. Why was she doing this to herself? "Juvia cares so much for Gray. I love Gray." And on came another sob which was accompanied by even more tears. That's why she did this… because she loved him and she refused to give up on that, or rather, she couldn't. A noise from outside caught my attention and it was then that I realized that it was raining. _Poor Juvia._ I put my arms around her, pulling her in for a tight hug.

"You know, I bet you mean more to Gray than you realize."

"How do you know?" She wiped some of the tears off her face, giving me a very hopeful yet vulnerable look. "Well because he talks to you, he's protected you during fights often and just generally looks out for you."

"He does all of that?" Her eyes lit up and a huge smile spread across her face, "I never noticed but now that you say it… maybe you're right!"

"Guys sometimes take time to realize that a girl likes them and then it takes them even longer to figure out how to deal with it or how they feel about it." I laughed lightly, thinking of how Natsu still didn't seem to notice that he cared for Lucy a little more than just in a friend sort of way. "So you think maybe Gray does like Juvia?"

"Why don't you just try and get to know him first? Also, try giving him the opportunity to get to know you better. People fall in love with the small things that a person does."

"Levy you're so kind!" She buried her face in my chest, clinging onto me almost as if she was afraid that her tears may wash her away. "You'll be fine." I brushed over her hair gently, remembering how much that used to comfort me as a child, "Don't rush things. Get to know him first."

"Juvia knows Gray!"  
"But how often do you spend time with him?" Juvia pulled away to look at me, a thoughtful look replacing the one of sadness. "Not often… should Juvia try spending more time with him?"

"Yes! Why don't you ask him if you two could go on a mission together?"

"Just Juvia and Gray?" Her eyes lit up again and this time, her cheeks turned quite red as well, "That would be a dream come true for me! But Gray is part of Team Natsu…"  
"So what? Gajeel isn't part of Team Shadow Gear and yet he still chose himself as my partner for the s-class make promotion trials."

"And you two grew closer together?" I cringed. Somehow I didn't like the direction in which this was going… "Well you could say that."

"Does Gajeel love you now?"

"N-no!" I felt my face heat up. How had we gone from Juvia's love issues to my issues with that jerk Gajeel? Besides, the thought hadn't even remotely crossed my mind that he could have feelings for me; which I was sure he definitely didn't! "But then why did you chose him?"

"I didn't! He insisted!" I scrunched the ends of my dress together nervously, wishing I could find something to say that didn't fluster me. "Juvia thinks you two _have_ grown closer." She smiled at me gently, "Gajeel has never protected someone before." That's right, they have known each other a lot longer than I have known Gajeel, seeing as they used to be in the same guild. When I thought about it, they were like Cana and me. We'd known each other since we were kids so we know a lot about each other yet still don't hang out that often. "What do you mean…? I'm sure he's protected someone before!"

"I heard that he protected you when Laxus attacked Jet. Before that he'd never protected anyone. He used to treat the Phantom Lord wizards like trash, hurting them for disturbing his lunch and on other occasions also." He did that? Right… I had forgotten that Gajeel had been in a dark guild and had also assaulted and tortured us. How could I have forgotten what he did to Jet, Droy and me? Well because somehow it didn't matter so much anymore. Gajeel was a part of our Fairy Tail family and that's all that mattered. "Are you feeling better now?" I changed the subject desperately, feeling the same sort of ache rise in my chest the more I thought about what Juvia and I had been discussing. "Yes I do." She continued to smile at me thankfully, "Juvia is very grateful."  
"It was a pleasure. If you ever need anyone to talk to, you know where I live." I winked at her, making her laugh. "Oh no!" Her laughter turning into a horrified gasp, "Juvia totally forgot to brew some tea for us! How rude of me!"  
"There's no problem!" I put my hands up in a dismissing gesture, trying to calm Juvia down again, "We can catch up on that some other time."

"It's a promise!" Juvia nodded enthusiastically, taking my hands in hers for a moment before getting up, wiping the last of her tears away in the process. She brought me to the door, thanking me one last time before I slipped out, walking to my room, happy to be home again. Why did everything have to involve Gajeel nowadays? I closed the door behind me, leaning against it once it was closed. "This is so stupid." I let my eyes skim over the many books that I had in the bookshelves that lined my walls, reaching all the way up to the ceiling, "Why am I acting like some lovesick teenager? I don't even think of Gajeel that way!"

The next morning, I was surprised to see that Juvia had really taken what I'd told her the day before to heart. I was busy reading when I noticed Juvia walk past me with a piece of paper in hand. I watched her walk over to where Gray was sitting with the rest of his team, arguing with Natsu about something trivial. "G-Grey…? Juv-, well I want to ask you something." She started nervously, almost scrunching up the paper in her hand in her nervous fluster, "I found a job request and can't do it on my own." She held out the paper for Gray to read, closing her eyes as soon as she saw that he was looking at it, terrified of his reaction. "Well why didn't you say you needed help earlier?" Came the reply from Gray, at which Juvia's eyes flew open again and started watering. "You mean you'll…?"

"Help you?" Gray let a tiny, almost invisible smile curve up the one corner of his mouth, "Our magic goes well together. I'd say you're a pretty good partner." So figures that Juvia would take that in a relationship sort of way. Her face turned blood read and her hands were clinging onto each other desperately, shaking a little. "Y-you really mean it?"  
"Uh… yeah I guess." Gray mumbled, looking a little at a loss due to Juvia's reaction, "So when do you wanna leave?"

"Juvia is ready to leave as soon as you want." She was beaming! I hadn't seen her that happy in such a long time and it made me so happy that she'd finally found the courage to talk to Gray and take the initiative. I was still watching the encounter when my view was blocked by something large and pretty dark. "Shrimp." Aw why did he have to show up now of all times? I wanted to see how things turned out between Juvia and Gray! "Good morning Gajeel." I looked up at Gajeel who was standing in front of me, arms crossed and smirking. "You're coming with me Shrimp."

"What?" No seriously… what?! He shoved a piece of paper in my face, causing me to almost fall back and off the chair I was sitting on. "Gee Gajeel can't you be a little less of a jerk for once?!" I snapped at him, taking the paper from him to inspect it. It was a job request all the way from Hargeon. Whoever had posted this request wanted us to find their child that had gone missing two days ago while the man and his daughter had gone to Hargeon Festival that went on for the rest of the week. I knew very well that it wasn't very likely that we'd find a child if it had already been missing for more than a day. Whoever kidnapped her could be halfway across Fiore by now and we'd never find her. "Why do you want to take this job?" I asked him, tearing my eyes from the paper and looking at Gajeel instead. "Well 'cause I felt like it." He grumbled, averting his eyes for a few seconds before looking at me again. Somehow I couldn't imagine that it was merely one of his moods. "If you don't wanna, I'll just as someone else."

"First tell me why you're asking me of all people to work with you on this job."

"Because you 'aint useless." He smirked when my mouth dropped open, "What you thought I was sick of you after the s-class trials smallfry? And what the hell are ya gawking at me like that for?" A giggle erupted from my throat right before a huge grin spread across my face. "Is that a yes?"

"You bet!"

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 _Aaaand that was chapter two! I really hope you enjoyed it! Please feel free to review ** 3_


	3. Chapter 3: Hargeon

**Hey guys~ so thank you to all the awesome people who've decided to stick with me and read my fanfiction! It means a lot to me! Here you have chapter 3. I really hope you enjoy it!**

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 **Chapter 3: Hargeon**

How did I get myself into this? Why didn't I just say no and leave him standing there looking like a fool? I should have stuffed that job request right in his face just like he had done with me. But I did none of those things and was now sitting on a train with Gajeel and his Exceed Pantherlily. The black cat was sitting opposite to me, next to Gajeel who was looking out the window his head leaning on his hand lazily. I don't think I'd ever seen him this quiet before. Normally he'd be talking to Lily by now but this time… something heavy was weighing down on us like lead, making all of us fall silent. Personally I was worrying about the girl we were supposed to find. I really hoped she was alright and most of all, I hoped that we could reunite her with her father. I couldn't possibly imagine what she was going through or how afraid she must be! "How are we going to find her?" I broke the silence daringly. Gajeel's crimson eyes shifted to me, the placid look staying plastered on his face. "You're supposed to be the smart one so why are ya asking me?" He replied almost coldly, throwing me off a little. What was wrong with him? My mind drifted to Juvia and Gray. They were probably laughing and chatting away on the train ride right now, unlike us. Why? Because I had chosen to travel with Mr. Gloomy and his sidekick cat. I frowned, averting my eyes to hide my feelings of disappointment. "And you're the Dragon Slayer Gajeel." Lily spoke up, shooting me a reassuring smile when my eyes met his. Thank goodness Gajeel had brought Lily along!

"So what?" Gajeel frowned, looking a little edgy to me, "That doesn't mean I know how to find someone like back when-." He turned his head to look at the window again, balling his hands into tight fists angrily. "You've done it before." I had caught on, knowing exactly why he hadn't finished his sentence. "Don't remind me Shrimp." He shot me a dark look but I ignored it, ignoring the nauseous sensation that was spreading throughout my stomach at the thought of how he had tracked down Lucy during the Phantom Lord attack never mind how he had attacked me and my team. "All I'm saying is that we can find her if you know what she smells like."

"Levy's got a good point." Pantherlily agreed with a nod, "I'm sure the father will have some item you can use to pick up her smell."  
"What am I? Some freakin' mutt?!" He growled, crossing his arms across his chest, cursing under his breath angrily. I frowned again, looking down at my lap sadly where the book I had planned to read was still lying waiting for me to open its pages and escape from this horribly awkward situation. Was it my fault? Was he so uptight because of me? With a heavy sigh I picked up the book, opening it and reading it silently, ignoring the almost quizzical look that Gajeel was giving me, mainly because I hadn't seen it.

"Hey look!" Lily scrambled over Gajeel's lap, using the Dragon Slayer's knee as a lookout point. He was pointing in the direction in which train was traveling so I had to turn around to see what the Exceed was so excited about. There, about a kilometer away lay the harbor town Hargeon in all its glory. I could see the ocean that was sparkling in the sun's light and some seagulls circling above the town. It looked so beautiful. "Wow." I sighed in awe, trying to take in the sight in hopes of never forgetting it. "Wow a town, never seen one of those before." Of course Gajeel would burst my bubble! It was all he brought me here for, not because he wanted someone who could help him but because he needed someone to be a jerk to. Lily could defend himself but a small, weak girl like me couldn't right? I took a deep breath to calm down. "Whatever Gajeel." I muttered, turning back to sit on the bench properly and continued to read until we got to Hargeon Station, ignoring that jerk as best I could.

Hargeon Station was a huge dorm that covered numerous train tracks. There were some stands at the sides that sold food. I bought Lily a small snack which he accepted with great gratitude, commenting that they should go on jobs with me more often. Gajeel had wanted some metal but logically none of them had any so he settled on a sandwich but only after hurling a whole series of insults at the poor salesman. "Please Gajeel, try not to embarrass us in front of our client." Pantherlily begged, looking a little exasperated after Gajeel's previous behavior.

"Ah shut it cat." He grunted, looking dead ahead instead of at any of us. Something was wrong. Something had been bothering Gajeel since the moment we set off on this job. He was so serious and so uptight. Sure he's always had a short temper but this was a bit much, especially considering that he hadn't smiled once, not even smirked. _There's something he's not telling me._ I watched Gajeel for a moment, trying to find the answer in his eyes but I found absolutely nothing, _I'll talk to Pantherlily later._ I decided, pulling my red shoulder bag over my right shoulder, draping it across my torso so that I didn't have to hold it the whole time. After a while of walking, I stopped worrying about Gajeel and focused on the world around me instead. There were so many new impressions flooding my senses. The most familiar smell was that of the sea which lingered in the air just as it had on Tenrou Island. We walked into a small market street on our way to the villa we had been ordered to. There were two children grilling a fish on a homemade grill with their mother. Some salesmen were yelling around, trying to arouse the interest of the people passing by. "Oh my gosh that's so pretty!" I hurried over to one of the stands unthinkingly, looking over a table full of jewelry. They had all been made with tiny little seashells, held together by leather strings. One necklace in particular caught my eye and I lifted it with one hand, letting it slide through my hand to land in the other. "There you are!" Gajeel came to the stand now also, stopping so close behind me that I could feel his breath on the back of my neck, "You shouldn't run off like that." He reprimanded me half-heartedly.

"What 'cause I'm small and finding me is tough right?" I put the necklace back carefully and turned to glare at him. "Exactly." I cross my arms sulkily, pushing past him before walking ahead on the road, "What did I do wrong now?" Gajeel asked Pantherlily who was sitting on his shoulder, scared of being trampled by the vast amount of people in this street. "I'm not sure." The Exceed admitted. Why couldn't he have gotten a female Exceed like Carla? She would have put him in his place!

Twenty-six minutes of walking later we were standing in front of a massive white villa. A man in a tuxedo, no doubt a butler was hurrying down the long path to the gate to let us in. The butler shot an uncertain look at Gajeel before opening the gate, inviting us in.

Once inside the large white building, I couldn't quite contain my excitement, gawking at pretty much everything around me. The place was so fancy! They even had a crystal chandelier hanging in the entrance hall. There was a massive flight of stairs leading to the second floor. It parted halfway up, one smaller flight leading to the left, the other to the right. "It looks just like those stairs in all the fairy tales." I commented quietly, looking around the large hall all rosy cheeked and eyes sparkling. I know I was sometimes easily impressed, just this was just like in a lot of the novels I had read. I imagined myself walking down that flight of stairs gracefully, wearing a stunning white ballroom dress and white gloves that reached all the way up to my elbows. My hair was long and flowing and my eyes were accented beautifully by the tiniest bit of eyeliner. Atop my head rested a beautiful silver crown, entangled with my blue hair. At the base of the stairs stood a handsome man waiting for me, holding a bouquet of beautiful red roses. He was wearing a white tuxedo. His long black hair was tied back into a ponytail. His crimson eyes were trained on me, watching me in much the same way as a man watching his bride walk down the aisle. Once I was almost at the bottom of the stairs, a smile spread across his face. "You look beautiful Princess." I felt my cheeks warm up, "Can we go now Shrimp or are you gonna stand there looking like a fool forever?"

Wait… I snapped back to reality, realizing to my horror that I had just imagined Gajeel and myself and… oh never mind! "Sorry." I bit down on the inside of my cheek, trying hard not to look at Gajeel for I knew that if I did look at him now, I'd probably go blood red. What was I doing fantasizing about something like that at a time like this? And Gajeel? Really?!

"This way please." The butler gestured for us to follow him and the three of us did as we were told. We were led into a large study that had bookshelves lining its walls that reached all the way up to the ceiling, much like my room just much, much bigger. "Better keep an eye on Tiny." Gajeel whispered to Lily, ignoring my glare, "Might lose her in all these books." He smirked at me, especially when Lily laughed quietly, covering his mouth with his tiny paw when I shifting my glared to him. Despite the fact that he was picking on me again, I was relieved to see that Gajeel was loosening up a little. We walked around a bookshelf that stood directly in the middle of the room, hiding the desk at which our client was sitting, from view. "I'm glad you made it on such short notice." He got up, walking up to us and shaking each of our hands and paws. The man looked absolutely worn out. His black eyes had dark circles underneath them. His brown hair was unkempt and he was wearing his morning gown instead of a suit. "I was out all night looking for her again." He went on in a hoarse voice, "I can't find Cathy anywhere!"

"Sir we're sorry to hear about your loss." My eyes widened when I heard how Gajeel was speaking and my eyes involuntarily found him and stayed there as he continued to speak, "What's important now is that we start searching as quickly as we can."

"That's right." Lily took over, "We need a picture of your daughter and a piece of her clothing. Then we need to know where you saw her last and if you noticed anything suspicious like someone following you on the day that she disappeared."

"Wh-why would you want a piece of my daughter's clothing?" The man looked puzzled to me.

"My guild mate here," I gestured to Gajeel who smirked, "is a dragon slayer, he can pick up scents easily."

"A dragon slayer?" The man looked almost ecstatic to me, tears of joy filling his tired eyes, "Maybe there is a chance that you find my child after all!" He hurried to his desk, opening one of the drawers and cramming out a pink scarf and his wallet from which he took out a photo of Cathy. "This was the scarf she had worn that night. I found it lying on the floor not far from where I'd bought her food." He handed the things to Gajeel only hesitantly, as if they were all he had left of her and was afraid that he'd lose her forever if he let that little piece of his daughter go. "We'll do everything we can to bring her back to you." Lily promised him, "Now… please do tell us about what happened." The man nodded, taking a seat at his desk again. He ran his hand through his hair before taking a deep breath, obviously wondering where to start. I felt so terribly sorry for this man! Seeing how distraught he was made me want to cry. "It was two days ago in the evening." He took another deep breath, almost as if it hurt too much to talk about, "She wanted to play that fish catching game where you get to take the goldfish home afterwards. I told her that we were first going to get something to eat. Once I had bought her food at one of the stands and had turned around, she was nowhere to be found. I searched the entire festival that evening but I didn't find the tiniest trace of her."

"Where is that stand?" Gajeel asked, looking to me as though he was concentrating very hard, "And was there something thing that caught your attention? A smell, a sound, a person?"

"At the base of the clock tower." The man took a moment to think about Gajeel's question, "Well I could smell a very strong cologne, shortly after I had started smelling it, someone with silver hair bumped into me, apologizing profusely afterwards."  
"Was that just before she went missing?"

"Yes, why?"

"That was a distraction." Gajeel decided and I knew he was right, "That's all I need to know." He turned away from the man, waiting for us to do the same so that we could leave. "Thank you for your time." I bowed to the man respectfully, so did Pantherlily.

"Dragon slayer?" Gajeel stopped shortly and looked at the man over his shoulder, "Please, please find my little girl! She's all I have left of my wife." As soon as I was out of the study, I quickened my pace, hurrying out of the villa as quickly as I could without making it look as though I was running. I only dared to breathe again once I was out of the gate and the butler had left us. "Levy?" Lily was the first to speak up, "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah." I made sure to walk ahead of them so that neither of them could see the tears in my eyes. I hated these sorts of things! They made me so, so sad. How could someone kidnap a child?! "We'll find her Shrimp." Gajeel put his hand on my shoulder for a moment, both of us stopping, "I promise."

"Thanks Gajeel." My mouth twitched as though it wanted to bend into a smile but didn't quite have the energy to. We stood like that for another moment before we made our way to the hotel in which we were going to stay for the next few days.

I had expected the hotel to be some run down hut with a scrap metal dump next to it or something. Contrary to my expectations though, I found myself sitting in a suite with two bedrooms that overlooked the sea. It was located close to where the festival was held which made it the perfect place to stay. I couldn't help but wonder if Lily had come up with this place or whether Gajeel had. Somehow I was tending more towards Lily. "Which room do you want?" Lily asked me politely once we'd put our bags down. I took a moment to look at the two rooms, trying to see which one had more daylight for when I chose to read. I was about to announce my decision when Gajeel walked into the room I was standing in, dropping his bags and flopping onto the bed. "Wasn't this my decision?" I gave him a blank look which he countered with one of his razor sharp smirks.

"Got sick of waiting." He stated simply, stretching out his legs a little probably just to spite me.

"Take your shoes off of the bed metal-head! You're not at home!" And with that I marched out, walking into the other room, "I would have chosen this one anyway!" I yelled, dropping my bags in the room that was located opposite to the one Gajeel stole from me, slamming the door purely out of protest.

I was given ten minutes to get settled in and freshen up before Lily came to fetch me. "We're leaving for the festival." He poked his head in the door, giving me a serious look, "And…" he hesitated, checking to see if Gajeel was around before finishing, "I'm sorry if Gajeel is a little on edge at the moment and takes it out on you. These kind of jobs always get to him."  
"Then why does he take them?"

"Because they get to him." He smiled, disappearing behind the door again, leaving me to gather my things together. What did he mean by that? Why would someone purposefully expose himself to that kind of feeling? The positive thing about this was that I had just learnt something new about Gajeel, which was something that didn't happen too often seeing as he hardly ever spoke about himself in elaborate terms. "C'mon Shrimp we're not here on vacation!"  
"And even if we were you'd still be just as bossy." I muttered under my breath, stomping out of my room and out the door, closely followed by a confused Gajeel and an amused Pantherlily.

 _I shouldn't be concentrating on Gajeel right now._ I reprimanded myself while we made our way down the stairs and out of the hotel. _What's important now is finding that girl!_


	4. Chapter 4: Hargeon Festival

Hey guys~ Sorry it took so long! Life kind of came along and stole my time. So here's chapter 4! Btw I have some other fanfictions about Fairy Tail that I'm working on. One is a NaLu. If you're interested in me posting the first chapter, let me know!

So anyway, enjoy!

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 **Chapter 4: Hargeon Festival**

There were people everywhere! Two long rows of stands and booths had been built up on each side of the narrow road that ran along the boardwalk at the beach. I could only just hear the roar of the ocean above the loud music and the talking and calling of the masses of people walking around. Pantherlily was once again perched atop Gajeel's shoulder keeping a keen eye on the people surrounding us. His round ears twitched towards all the different sounds, rotating ever so lightly from one side to the other. Gajeel looked to be concentrating just as much as Lily was. "I think our best bet is to act natural." Lily reminded us and we both relaxed, letting our shoulders drop, "If the kidnappers still happen to be around here somewhere, we don't want to chase them away." He was so right. How could I have forgotten about that? Why did I feel so tense? My body felt heavy and sluggish and I was scared of missing any vital clues due to my strange state of mind. It was like all I could concentrate on was Gajeel's steely smell and the fact that his shoulder brushed against mine occasionally while we walked. "So what's your definition of acting natural?" Gajeel shot a quick look at Pantherlily before turning his attention back to the crowd. "Talk amongst one another, go look at all the different things being sold, eat something..." He stood up, materializing his wings and taking off moments later, hovering in front of us, "I'll go fly around and see if I can pick up any suspicious activity."

"How will you find us again?" I asked him and Gajeel grunted, obviously finding my question humorous.

"Gajeel's pretty easy to find." Lily explained to me before rising into the sky and disappearing into the darkness of the night. So now I was alone with Gajeel at a festival looking for a girl that got kidnapped while having to act natural? How did a girl and a boy act natural at these sorts of things? I knew the answer but I refused to think it, knowing that I would turn red and become jittery if I even thought of how this would then most likely be a date. Friends go to festivals together! That's right! That's what this was! We were two friends who were vising the festival. And besides, even if I _did_ have to pretend like I was going on a date with him, it's not as though I had feelings for him so that shouldn't be the problem! This was purely for the job! "Our best bet is to head for the clock tower and then head back in this direction." Gajeel ripped me out of my thoughts, saving me from the wave of fluster that had threatened to drown me. "Sounds good." I agreed, dodging a child that ran past me, grabbing onto Gajeel's arm for stability. My left hand was resting against his upper arm and my right hand was resting against his lower arm just above his wrist. I could feel the metal studs he had in his lower arm, finding it strange how cold they were despite his arm being rather warm. "Stay like that." Gajeel looked down at me, smirking when he saw the surprised look on my face, "That way we won't lose each other and look natural."

"O-okay." I felt my face warm up a little. I became terribly conscious of how close we were walking and of what it felt like to hold onto him like that. What made things worse was that my attempts to deny that this was like a date, were faltering terribly. _I thought I felt nothing for him…_ I looked at my feet for a moment, my mouth twisting into a discontent squiggle. _But then why is my heart beating so fast?_ Suddenly it all fell into place. There, at that festival in Hargeon while we walked along amongst all those people and passed a stand selling dangos, it all made sense to me. I realized why I had been so competitive and why I had tried so hard to become stronger. I wanted him to acknowledge me! I realized why his teasing always got under my skin so much. I realized why the events of the trials had taken so much out of me and why it had been so terrible to watch him get hurt on my account.

Despite my profuse denying the fact and trying to blame the butterflies in my stomach on something else, in the end I had to admit it.

I had a huge crush on Gajeel Redfox.

I stopped in my tracks, covering my mouth with my free hand while tears sprung to my eyes. How could something like that happen to me? A librarian yes but Gajeel? Why on earth, of all the idiots on the planet did I have to have a crush on Gajeel? "Did you see something shiny again?" Gajeel sighed dramatically and stopped just in front of me, looking back at me over his shoulder. When he saw the look on my face though, he turned around to face me completely, leading me to the side of the street between two of the booths. "I told you we were gonna find her so stop getting all depressed over it." He looked a little annoyed.

 _It's not that._ I thought the words I wished I could say, _I just really… could use a hug right now._ I wrapped my arms around my stomach, feeling more insecure than I ever had. I could feel his eyes study me and I waited, listening to my own fluttering heartbeat until he spoke up.

"Are ya feeling sick?" He titled his head a little, looking puzzled. So maybe he did care…

"I must be coming down with something." I went along with it, thankful to him for giving me a way out of this embarrassing situation.

"You're kidding right Shrimp?" He complained, leaning against the side of one of the booths we were standing between, "I didn't ask you to come on the job with me just so you end up having to spend the whole time in bed 'cause you can't look after yourself." I take it back; he's a heartless idiot… "I'm sure I'll be better soon." I forced a plastic smile onto my face, hoping it would get Gajeel to stop looking at me like that!

"As long as ya don't whine about feeling sick I don't really care." Gajeel shrugged, holding out his arm so that I could take ahold of it again and I did, holding on a little tighter this time around. Why now? Why couldn't it have hit me after we'd found the girl? Why was this happing to me? I thought these kind of things only happened to Lucy or Juvia but not to me! _Okay Levy, you've read enough about this kind of thing in novels._ I tried to calm myself. _So worry about it later and concentrate on finding that girl and not on your stupid feelings!_ I took a deep breath, letting it out slowly to compose myself. "Is she around here somewhere?" I asked while we continued walking.

"I don't smell the kid." He frowned, frustration written all over his face, "It's difficult to concentrate on a single smell anyway."

"Too many around here?" He nodded, keeping his eyes on the people directly in front of us. The smells around us were already slightly overwhelming for me so I could only imagine what it must be like for him. The smell of fried food, burning candles and incense hung in the air. Every merchant's booth seemed to have its own smell and they all converged on the path, exploding into a flurry of different smells. "I wonder where Lily is." I tried to keep the conversation going, which was harder than it may seem. I knew that Gajeel wasn't really a man of many words but he wasn't even trying!

"Flying up there somewhere." He pointed at the sky with his free hand. Well that didn't make me any wiser...

"Hey look!" Something caught my eye and I tightened my hold on his arm, forcing him to come along with me. "Aren't these so cute?" I picked up one of the cat stuffed toys, holding it up for Gajeel to see, "Looks kinda like Pantherlily don't you think?" He raised a non-existent eyebrow at the fluffy object in my hand. "Yeah… _adorable._ " He scrutinized the little thing, looking rather unimpressed, "Now put it back before they think ya wanna steal it or something."

"You're no fun." I put the cat back down, walking back onto the road sulkily with a pout on my face.

We continued to walk in silence, both of us feeling a little awkward and out of place. I had to focus really hard to stop my mind from drifting and worrying about the realization I had made earlier. Personally I didn't really like walking like this with Gajeel. It felt so unnatural! Gajeel would never walk with anyone like this and especially not with me.

Especially… not with me…

"Ya hungry?" He slowed down a little, looking at me with a gentle smirk which widened when I nodded profusely, "You didn't eat before we left like Lily told ya to?"

"No." I scratched my cheek a little sheepishly, "You?"

"Nah. Wasn't hungry." He walked me over to one of the stands which were selling some food, this one offering fried noodles. The stand that we were standing at just so happened to be the same one that Cathy's father had stood at. "Hey Gajeel I'm just gonna go look over there quick." My hands slid from his arm and I shivered, realizing only then that he'd actually kept me quite warm. I shot him a smile before heading towards the stand on the other side of the road, ignoring Gajeel's instruction to stay close. "Wow." I stood in front of the booth with wide eyes, admiring the different postcards and books they had displayed there. There was even a book all about the fables that had to do with Hargeon. I was so distracted that I didn't pick up the strong smell of cologne coming from someone close to me. When I looked to the left side of the stand, I saw they had some bracelets, armbands and necklaces hanging from a long wooden panel. "This one looks nice." I ran my finger over a metal bracelet, it reminding me a lot of Gajeel. "I'll take this one." I pointed at it and the salesman smiled at me, handing me the bracelet in a little paper bag after I'd paid for it. "Thanks for your purchase and have fun." The salesman smiled at me and I wished him the same before turning around to find Gajeel. "Hey there." In front of me stood a scrawny man who led me away from the booth without waiting for my reply and soon I found myself standing in between the booth at which I had just shopped and the one next to it. "Who are you?" I demanded to know, readying my hands for any spells I would need to cast.

"Oh you could say I'm nothing but a good Samaritan." The dark-haired man smiled at me warmly, "Are you lost?"

 _This cologne!_ Only then did I notice the strong smell of cologne surrounding this man, _I bet he's the one who took Cathy away._ I knew Gajeel must be around here somewhere so I chose to play along. Gajeel was always there when I needed him so why should this time be any different? I'd be totally fine! "Yes. My big brother was buying me food but then I couldn't find him."

"Oh you poor thing, come with me and we'll go look for him." He held out his hand and I took it, as much as it bothered me to do so, following the man away from the brightly lit road and into the darkness. I couldn't help but wonder if this man really thought I was a little girl. I might have looked a little like one but in my opinion I didn't really come across as that young regardless of how short I am.

 _Any time now Gajeel!_ I was starting to worry that he really had lost me this time around. Five minutes had passed since the man and I had started walking but yet Gajeel was nowhere to be seen. I knew that I could knock him out easily but I was pressed to know where he was taking me. If this was the same guy that kidnapped Cathy, he might be taking me to her. "Are you sure he went this way?" I spoke up as not to make it seem like I was going along with him without question. The last thing I wanted was for this guys to become suspicious of me. "Most certainly." He looked back at me, smiling at me again, "Just trust me okay?"

"Alright mister." Had this been Gajeel's plan from the very start? Had he planned on using me as some sort of bait the whole time? If so, he was in for it later!

The man stopped in front of a run-down warehouse that stood at the end of a small alley. "Is he in there?" I asked quietly faking uncertainty and the man turned to me after unlocking the door.

"I told your brother to meet you here if you got lost."

"You know my brother? Are you a friend of his?"

"He's never spoken about me?" The man looked hurt, "Well I'll have to talk to him about that later when he picks you up." He opened to door, letting me go inside first, resting his cold hand on my shoulder right there where my Fairy Tail stamp was. "Interesting." I heard the man mutter and was about to turn around when he grabbed hold of both my hands, yanking them back and tying them up behind my back. _Crap! I can't use my magic like this!_ I felt myself start to panic. The situation was spiraling out of control! How were we supposed to find Cathy if this guy locked me away? Where the hell was that idiot Gajeel?! "So you little Fairy Tail wizards thought you could fool me?" The man lit a gasoline lamp, hanging it on a hook that hung from one of the metal beams in the ceiling, "Too bad for you that your little sidekick didn't notice you disappearing! I bet he's walking around that festival looking for you as we speak." He guffawed, pushing me into the farthest corner away from the door. There were crates standing in that corner and only once I was moved behind one of them did I see Cathy. The beautiful little blonde was cowered together in the corner between two crates. Her face was filthy and her long blonde hair was knotted up and messy. The white dress she was wearing was all torn up and her one shoe was missing. She reminded me a lot of Lucy. "Cathy?" I spoke up quietly and the girl's head shot up, a little life returning to her glazed over eyes.

"H-how do you know my name?" Her tiny voice cracked and she cringed, wanting to lift her shaking hands to her aching throat but she couldn't with the way they were tied back. "Your father sent me." I tried to explain to her, keeping an eye on the man that had kidnapped me. He was pacing up and down in front of the door, looking a little nervous. "Daddy?" Tears came to her little green eyes and she began sobbing loudly, "I wanna go to my Daddy!"  
"I promise you we'll find a way out of here."

"Oh yeah?" Only then did I realize that I had let my guard down and that he was now standing behind me. He took ahold of my hair, yanking me up by it roughly, sending pain coursing up and down my spine. I gritted my teeth, refusing to give this man the satisfaction of hearing me scream, "So you come here thinking you're so much better than us right?"

"I hardly doubt that I'm the one with the superiority complex here." I shot back, clenching my hands into tight fists.

"Why aren't you a little loudmouth…" He snickered, turning me around abruptly and slapping me across the face so hard that I could hear a ringing sound in my ears. "No!" I heard Cathy scream, "Leave her alone you horrible man!"

"Shut it you pathetic little shrimp!"

 _Shrimp…_ I felt tears come to my eyes.

 _G-Gajeel!_ Was I really this useless without him? So I really was like those girls in the novels that had to rely on a strong man to protect them…. Maybe if this guy weren't holding onto me I would have more of a chance to actually do something but at this rate he would just end up torturing me. I knew fully well that if I were to cast a spell behind my back while facing away from Cathy, the spell would hit her. There was absolutely nothing I could do while tied up the way I was. He was still holding onto my head and I was still on my knees. I could feel that one of my knees was scraped open and no doubt bleeding, "At least I have something to pass the time with." Again he struck out, his hand coming into contact with my face painfully. With a sadistic sneer, he lifted his knee, ramming it into my face so hard that the impact sent me crashing to the floor painfully, scraping open my shoulder now also. He let the batch of blue hair in his hand drop and I watched it drift to the floor, registering the stinging sensation spreading across my scalp. _Gajeel…_ I closed my eyes for a moment, forcing back the tears that were threatening to betray me in front of my enemy. It hurt! Everything hurt so badly and what was I doing? Hoping on someone that wasn't showing up?! "Now what to do with you…" He taunted me, using his foot to push me onto my back before placing it onto my stomach, "What's wrong?" He grinned at me, "Not so loud-mouthed this time around ey? Why aren't you using your magic? Or are you Fairy Tail wizards maybe not so tough after all?!"

"Running your mouth about Fairy Tail…" I took in a deep breath, composing myself just enough to speak, "is the biggest and stupidest mistake you can make. Don't underestimate us!

"Oh yeah?!" He yelled at me, bending over a little, "Then why aren't you fighting back?"

"G-Gajeel." I cried, screaming out when the man pushed down on my stomach as hard as he could, "Gajeel you idiot where are you?!"

As if he had heard me, the door was broken down and sent flying against the opposite wall with a loud crash. The man swirled around to face the door, taking his foot off of me in the process. Once free I scrambled over to Cathy, shielding her from the upcoming fight as best as I could. "Hey Shrimp?"

"Yeah Gajeel?" I felt tears come to my eyes. He had come! He had found me after all! Everything was going to be okay now, Gajeel had come to save me. "What the hell are you doing hiding in the corner like some scaredy-cat? Now is not the time to be sitting around like that!" I gritted my teeth, ignoring the stinging pain in my stomach while I forced myself to my feet. "Just shut up would you?!" I glared at Gajeel who was standing in the doorway, hands on hips and a massive smirk on his face. How could I even have thought that he was here to save me? "It's not my fault you took so long! You have no idea what I just went-."

"Don't go getting all insulted now _princess._ " He kept his eyes on me for a moment before shifting them to the man that had hurt me so badly, "Finally I get to beat on the second one. You just had to wander so far away from the festival didn't you?"

"Wh-what did you do to my partner?"

"Oh I just showed him what happens when you mess with a Fairy Tail wizard." Gajeel shrugged, as if what he'd done had been the most natural thing for him to do, "And now," He lifted his left arm, turning it into an iron club, "It's your turn."

"Cathy go outside will you?" I turned to the blonde who was now hiding behind me.

"But what about-."

"I'll be fine just go!"

"Okay." She nodded, running past the man and Gajeel and out the door.

 _Thank goodness she's safe._ I felt the tension drain from my body and I sunk to the ground with an exhausted sigh.

A loud crash drew my attention back to Gajeel who had just sent the man flying into the wall. "Sucks that you 'aint a wizard." Gajeel's arm turned back to normal and he let it drop to his side, "Hardly put up a fight."

"Is that all you're worrying about?" I yelled at him, struggling to my feet. He hadn't even asked me if I was okay! He honestly didn't care about me even in the slightest did he?! Once again it was only about how much of a fight he was getting out of all of this! He thought absolutely nothing of me… "There's nothing else for me to worry about right now." His eyes met mine for a moment and my anger dwindled away when I realized what he was trying to say. "Just… get the job done Gajeel." I muttered, wanting to make my way out of the warehouse but I didn't get far before my legs gave way and I fell over again, landing on the same shoulder that had been scraped open.

I closed my eyes.

I was finished. My head was still spinning and my body ached. I don't know where all my strength had gone to. Was I really that weak? "Now…" Gajeel walked up to the man, cracking his knuckles tauntingly, "I'll refrain from breaking every bone in your weak body if you promise you'll never do any of this again."

"Make me!" The man lifted his head, this seeming to be all he could do.

"Big mistake." A dark look crossed Gajeel's face and he lifted the man up by the collar of his shirt. He let the man dangle like that for a moment before drawing back his arm as if throwing a rugby ball, smirking when he launched the man into the air, sending him flying right into one of the metal beams supporting the ceiling of the great hall. Battered and unconscious, the man landed in a pile of crates with a loud crash and a pitiful groan. Then- all was silent. "What a joke." Gajeel scoffed. How typical of him to be disappointed for not getting much of a fight out of this mission, "Get up kid." He came to stand in front of me, offering me one of his hands which I accepted and he pulled me up effortlessly. "Thanks." I winced when my knee hurt as soon as I tried to stand. I swayed from one foot to the other until I found the least painful way to stand, sighing lightly once I had. Gajeel took a moment to take in what I looked like, frowning when he saw the wounds I had. Without a word he placed one hand on my upper back and one on my stomach, lifting me up and laying me over his shoulder. "What are you doing?!" I spluttered, feeling my cheeks warm up.

"I 'aint in the mood to take three hours to get back to the hotel."

"You could have warned me!" I complained half-heartedly.

"Move and I drop you." He warned me and I felt a smile spread across my face. Silly Gajeel… did he really think I had the energy left to move?

And yet again Gajeel had saved me, just like the numerous times before. I hadn't been able to make myself big, instead I was yet again rendered completely useless until Gajeel came along and saved the day. Would I ever be the one to save him? Would he ever acknowledge me?

 _He wasn't worried about me…_ I watched Cathy walk beside Gajeel, holding onto his coat while she walked.

 _Is it because he thought I could handle myself?_

"You okay Shrimp?"

"Yeah… thanks Gajeel."

* * *

Aaaand that was chapter 4. I'm taking my time with this story, mainly becuase I think that Gajeel especially needs a lot of time to figure out things. Also, I really like concentrating a little on the smalls things and gestures you know? So I hope you'll stick around! Reviews would be greatly appreciated and if you have any requests, message me!

Until next time!


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys! So here you have chapter 4! I was at a convention this weekend so that's why I'm only uploading some stuff now. I really hope you like this chapter. It's a little quieter than the one before but I hope you like it nonetheless!  
**

 **Again, please feel free to review! I'd love to hear from you guys!**

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 **Chapter 5: Gajeel Redfox**

I don't think I'll ever forget the look on the man's face when he saw us walk in with his little laughter. We had taken her back to our hotel shortly to get her all cleaned up before taking her to her father. I hadn't been too happy with the thought of letting her go back to her father looking so horrible. I didn't want her dad to picture what those men had done to her. I knew that he would never be able to get the image of his dirty, haggard daughter out of his mind. It would just make him feel eons worse about the situation than he already did. I knew he blamed himself for all of it and I could sympathize with that…

Lily had insisted that I too get cleaned up and once I was done, the wounds didn't look half as bad as they had with all the blood on them though I have to say that some of them, like the gash on my shoulder, still hurt quite badly. Cathy had waited by the bathroom door impatiently while I rinsed my wounds with lukewarm water, cringing when it hurt to do. I was surprised to find that she was more worried about me than both Lily and Gajeel combined.

Mr. Carlton, as the man turned out to be called, announced that he was holding a party to celebrate the return of his beloved daughter. We were supposed to be the guests of honor so that meant we had to spend the rest of the week in Hargeon. Don't get me wrong, I didn't mind at all! Gajeel did though…

"Why the hell do I have to waste another two days here in Hargeon?" He went on, pacing up and down the suite angrily, wearing at the wood paneling beneath his iron boots, "I have better things to do than this!"  
"It's Mr. Carlton's way of thanking us." Lily spoke up, having found a place to sit on the green couch that stood close to the window next to the open kitchen. He looked quite comfortable to say the least, a small carton of kiwi juice positioned between his two paws. "Well he can shove his thanks where the sun don't shine if you ask me!" I was busy making dinner for everyone, humming away as I did. I couldn't understand why Gajeel was complaining so much. I mean we'd found Cathy, had reunited her with her father and had gotten our pay just as promised in addition to getting a little bonus for how quickly we resolved the matter. On top of that we had been invited to a party where we could eat as much as we wanted and could dance away without a care in the world. I honestly would have thought that an opportunity to get free food would be something Gajeel would jump at but it seems he wasn't quite as similar to Natsu as some might think. "I need to get back to training!" He grumbled, coming to a halt in front of the couch, directing a rather displeased look at the Exceed. "I don't see where a three-day break is any problem at all. Giving your body time to rejuvenate is also an important part of training."  
"If I lose my next fight, I'm gonna blame it all on you Lily!" He let himself drop onto the couch next to Lily, crossing his arms like a sulking child. "Well look at the bright side;" I spoke up for the first time since we'd gotten back to the hotel, "dinner's almost ready."

"It's about time! I'm starving!" Why that little good for nothing-. "I mean I _was_ the one who did most of the work here!"  
"Gajeel I hardly think that's appropriate." Lily placed a paw on the man's shoulder reproachfully, giving him a stern look, "Levy got pretty battered up… you should at least give her some credit."

His eyes met mine for a moment and he frowned, "Whatever." His eyes left mine and he got up and walked out onto the balcony, closing the door behind him loudly. "I'm sorry about him." Lily sighed, padding over to me, "I know he can be difficult."

"It's okay." I lifted him onto the counter surprised by how soft he was. He gave me a grateful nod before he took a seat next to the stove, watching me stir the soup I was busy cooking. "I have a question."

"Sure. Ask whatever you like." Gosh he was so nice! I got on so well with Lily, really I did. Sure he could be just as fight-fixated as Gajeel but at the same time he was nice to talk to and was a great deal more sensible than his partner. "Why does he do that?"

"Do what?"

"Talk the way he does…"

"My best bet is because he learnt it that way from Metalicana." That's right. Metalicana was the iron dragon that had raised Gajeel. He never spoke much of Metalicana so I can't say I knew a lot about him at that point. All I knew was that just like Natsu, Gajeel had been taken in by a dragon and raised by one. I couldn't imagine how something like that is supposed to work but somehow it did. Some cases having turned out better than others. I had never before considered asking Gajeel about Metalicana because I knew that Natsu got all depressed simply at the mention of the word 'dragon' never mind Igneel. "Do you think there are books about the dragons? Like that one that attacked us on Tenrou Island?"

"I'm pretty sure there are. The difficult part would then be figuring out where they are kept. I doubt they'd be somewhere where normal civilians can read them." Lily crossed his stubby arms in front of his chest, looking pretty serious to me. It was so nice to be taken seriously for once. He didn't give me that patronizing look Gajeel normally would when I tried to run something by him. He didn't smirk at me or laugh at me. He didn't ruffle my hair with his hand. All he did was listen and try and help me find a solution to the problem I was telling him about. "I want to know more about Metalicana." I admitted, much to Lily's surprise.

"Don't mind me asking… but why?"

"Well because I'm sure I'd understand Gajeel better if I knew even just a little about Metalicana. Don't you think?"

"While I do agree with you on that theory, I also think that even considering the type of dragon that Metalicana was, will already give us a lot of information about Gajeel." Lily explained, "Just think about it. Do you notice how Natsu manages to adapt to any sort of situation and manages to overcome them no matter the odds?"

"Yeah… Fire." I clicked my fingers, "Fire is flexible and can flare up again even when it's almost dead. All it needs is the right kind of fuel."

"Exactly." The Exceed nodded, visibly pleased with the fact that I was catching on so quickly, "Now think about iron's properties."

"Oh yeah." Now it made sense. Gajeel, being an iron dragon slayer had certain traits that resembled those of iron.

"I'd be curious to know more about Wendy's dragon." Lily admitted, "Must have been a very gentle one." We both laughed, thinking about how gentle and sweet little Wendy was. Sometimes I couldn't believe that Gajeel, Natsu and her were all dragon slayers- Wendy was so different to them! I wanted to spend more time thinking about what I had just learnt about Gajeel. I figured that if I kept Lily's little lesson in mind, I would understand a lot more about Gajeel's behavior and the motivation behind what he does. Despite my wish to continue pondering, I knew that it was time for dinner and making Gajeel wait would just put him in an even worse mood which was quite frankly something I didn't want to have to deal with. "Well the soup's done." I announced almost half-heartedly, fishing a spoon out of one of the drawers and scooping up some soup. I made sure it was cool enough before handing the spoon to Lily who slurped up the soup immediately. "Wow Levy, I had no idea that you were such a talented cook!"

"Aw thanks Lily!" I rubbed the back of my head, blushing a little thanks to how heartfelt that compliment really was.

"Well then would you like to call Gajeel or should I?"

"You lay the table." I ran my hand over the top of his furry head, "I'll go fetch Grumpy." I winked at Lily who chuckled, hopping off the countertop and returning to the size he had back in Edolas, now being as big as Gajeel.

"Hey Gajeel?" I closed the balcony door behind me slowly. Gajeel was sitting on one of the chairs, looking out at the sea that reflected the moonlight beautifully. It looked like thousands of diamonds were floating in the water, tossed around by the gentle waves. "Hey." He shot a brief glance at me before looking at whatever he could see out there in the dark. "Why'd you storm off like that?"

"So you came to interrogate me?" It was only then that I saw that he was holding something in his hands, fidgeting with it a little. A piece of metal? No, he would have eaten that up by now, seeing as he was _starving._ Darn it why did the lighting have to be so bad out here? I couldn't recognize it, despite its outlines looking terribly familiar to me. "I was worried, that's all." I continued quietly, walking over to the landing to lean against it, facing Gajeel. I took a deep breath, enjoying the smell of the sea and how fresh the air smelt. "Don't be." Was the only reply he gave me before getting up, "So is the food done or did you leave Lily to play housewife?"

"Nah the food's done." I laughed when an image of Lily wearing an apron popped into my mind.

"About time." He mumbled, walking in ahead of me without another word.

* * *

"I hope you liked it." I put my spoon down, satisfied with the soup I'd made.

"It was delicious thank you!" Lily gave me a whiskery grin, rubbing his tiny tummy contently. Gajeel said nothing, instead he chewed on his spoon, still staring down at his bowel the way he had done during the entire meal. Was he still upset from earlier? What had upset him anyway? I couldn't for the life of me think of anything Lily or I had said that could have put him in such a bad mood. Lily had been the only one to talk to me during dinner. Gajeel had refused to say a word, answering any questions we asked him with a disinterested grunt. "Well when I'm on a job with Jet and Droy, I usually do all the cooking. Droy's getting the hang of it slowly but none of the things they cook are edible just yet."

"Gajeel and I usually just get take-out." Lily informed me, shooting a quick glance at Gajeel.

"Oh by the way Gajeel, I got you something!" A swarm of butterflies erupted in my stomach the moment Gajeel raised his eyes to look at me.

"Huh?"

"Just wait here!" I smiled at him, pushing my chair back and getting up, "Lily make sure he doesn't storm off again." I hurried into my room. I stopped once I knew Gajeel and Lily couldn't see me, taking a deep breath to calm myself. On the way back to the hotel earlier, I had stopped by a small store that sold all types of things. Gajeel and Lily had gone to get something to eat in the meantime and I used the opportunity to get him a little thank-you gift. I walked over to my red shoulder bag that I had dropped next to the bed. Opening the flap, I fished out a small red baggie. It was tied together at the top with an elastic. Quite honestly, the thought of giving Gajeel a present was terrifying but I felt like it was the right thing to do. Firstly, he had saved me so often and I had done nothing to show him my thanks. Secondly it was obvious that he was upset so I was hoping that my present would cheer him up at least a little. I took another deep breath before walking back into the open kitchen with its dining room, sitting back down on my chair. "Mr. Carlton had wanted to give me something for the trouble I'd gone through so I asked him for some jewels so I could get you this." I handed him the bag, feeling my cheeks warm up when he took it, his mood lifting immediately when his hand closed around it. "You got me some iron…?" Of course he would smell it before seeing it. "I know you like to have iron to chew on all the time and seeing as we'll be here for another three days I thought that's the least I can get you."

"You didn't have to do that y'know." He averted his eyes again, pursing his lips ever so slightly.

"It's not about what I _have_ to do Gajeel." I smiled at him when he finally chose to look at me again, "It's about what I want to do and I wanted to show you how thankful I am for the way you saved us earlier." His mouth dropped open a little while his eyes stayed on mine, "So thanks."

"I… only did it because of the job y'know?" I saw Lily shift in his chair, his button eyes panning from Gajeel to me. He knew that Gajeel had hurt my feelings but Gajeel seemed oblivious to this. I tried not to let it burst my bubble, really I tried my very best but it definitely did, regardless of how hard I tried. "Right." I looked down at my empty bowl, scrunching my hands together underneath the table, "Well I'm still… grateful nonetheless. Maybe it meant nothing to you." I paused, forcing myself not to cry, "But it meant something to me." I could feel Gajeel's gaze on me. He was studying my face, probably having picked up on my change in mood. "Levy how about Gajeel and I wash up? You've been in the kitchen ever since we came back." Lily said.

"Hey I 'aint here to do washing or-."

"Gajeel this is not the time to argue." Lily interrupted him, "Levy you go rest up." I nodded numbly, getting up and muttering a quick thanks to Lily before walking into my room and closing the door behind me. I had known that it was a stupid idea. I shouldn't have gotten Gajeel a present. I should have known that he was going to react the way he did… I felt an ache build up in my chest and my eyes began to burn from my pending tears.

"Stupid Gajeel…" I whispered, walking over to my bed and letting it swallow me whole. I hid under the blankets, clutching my pillow almost desperately. This pain… It was the same sort of pain I had felt when Gajeel got hurt on Tenrou Island…

I hated this sort of pain…

What I hated the most though was that I felt it because I was hopelessly in love…

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"Oh no!" The next morning, I hurried to the bathroom door, locking it as quickly as I could. Lily and Gajeel were still asleep but I had no idea for how much longer so I assumed it would be smarter to lock. "How am I supposed to go to a ball looking like I got hit in the face by Gajeel's iron club?" I ran my fingers over the large bruise on my cheek there where the man's knee had hit me. Gajeel was going to tease me about it until the day I die! I couldn't let him see me like this! I was never one to wear a lot of makeup so naturally I didn't have a lot with me. _I wish we had brought Wendy with on this mission._ I sighed, thinking about how quickly Wendy would be able to make that horrible blue and red blob disappear with her sky magic.

I put some more concealer on my face, blending it as best as I could but it was no use. "I think now is a good time to come to terms with the fact that I'm going to look like this until I get back to Fairy Tail." I told my reflection somberly. I sat down on the edge of the bathtub, brushing over a crease in my orange dress.

Somehow I had the feeling that the remaining days in Hargeon were going to prove to be stressful no thanks to a certain dragon slayer.

Once I had gotten ready, I unlocked the door slowly before opening it, listening for any signs of life from Batman and Robin before sneaking out and into the kitchen to make myself some breakfast. I had just thrown some eggs into the frying pan when the door to Gajeel's room opened and a very sleepy looking Gajeel came sauntering out, rubbing his eyes. He was wearing a pair of black boxers and a grey tank top. "How about you get dressed properly?" I muttered darkly.

"I thought I smelt breakfast." I should have known that he would smell it. A blank look crossed my face. Why did I get the feeling that I was going to be making breakfast for two and a half people this morning? And why on earth was he ignoring my comment about his clothing? "What'cha making Squ-." His voice broke off immediately when his eyes fell on my face and took in the large bruise, "What happened? Did you fall out of bed or something?"

"No Gajeel!" I felt my temper rise again. I had a crush on this guy? Oh there was no way in hell! It must have been the mood of the night before that got me thinking something so ridiculous because this guy was such an-. "I was kneed in the face for trying to protect Cathy." It burst out of me, "Right after he tied me up, forced me to my knees, pulled my hair and slapped me in the face twice!" His eyes had grown wide and a deep frown had found its way onto his face, "I was bleeding you know but you didn't even notice that!"

"I did." He uttered flatly, walking past me to the fridge, "I could smell it all the way from the damn festival. I don't think I'm ever going to forget the smell of your blood Levy, not after Tenrou Island." There he stood, peering into the fridge as though he hadn't just gone and said something like that. There he stood having said something that caught me so off guard that my heart was hammering against my ribcage violently again like it had the night before. He was so stupid for talking like that right after I had established that he was a heartless metal-head. It always caused the image I had of him to crack even just the slightest. One day it would shatter completely and I was terrified of what was going to happen then.

"What happened yesterday doesn't matter though." I decided to let the topic drop, not wanting to get into an argument this early in the morning, "I did what I had to do in order to protect Cathy until you came. Yes, I was helpless because I was afraid of hurting her and because my arms were tied behind my back… but I believed that you would come and save us so it made all the pain I had to endure bearable. And besides," I smiled, "It wasn't half as bad."

"Fine but then don't go complaining that it hurts."

"I won't." I assured him, shifting my attention to the eggs that were almost done, "How many do you want?"

"How many do you have?"

* * *

"Isn't Lily going to join us?" We were sitting at the round table, looking out over the glistering ocean. Gajeel had given me all the eggs left in the fridge and I had cooked up a whole pile of eggs for the two of us. "He left earlier this morning." Gajeel explained, forking down his food as though he hadn't eaten in weeks. Metalicana had left out the lesson on table manners it seems. _Metalicana._ I watched the way Gajeel ate, the way he looked, the way he moved. Somehow it was hard to imagine little, young Gajeel growing up with something as huge as a dragon. Up until Tenrou Island I had always doubted that they even existed but ever since then, and ever since seeing what Natsu, Wendy and Gajeel were capable of, I was left no choice but to acknowledge their existence. "What was he like?" Oh crap! Had I just said that out loud?! I felt my face heat up in record time and my lips began to quiver. _Please let Gajeel handle this subject better than Natsu!_

"Who?" Gajeel put down his fork, giving me his undivided attention, leading me to assume that he already had a suspicious as to who I was talking about. "Metalicana." As soon as the word hit Gajeel's ears, his eyes glazed over slightly and a very distant expression appeared on his face. I was about to ask if everything was okay when he seemed to snap out of it. "He is such a selfish asshole."

"What?" Okay so I hadn't expected Gajeel to talk like that about his foster dad, considering that Natsu would incinerate anyone who even so much as said one negative thing about Igneel. "All he did was boss me around and tell me I was too weak and squishy."

"Squishy?" I laughed, finding the word sounded so strange when Gajeel said it.

"Metalicana is a metal dragon, covered completely in metal scales. I used to believe that he was some kind of knight y'know? He looked like he wore armor. Anyway… so to him, a human without scales is weak and squishy."

"And you agree with him?"

"I earned my scales." Gajeel smirked, "There's nothing that can break through my skin now." My eyes found his right forearm that was decorated by some scars. "I bet you're a lot more like your foster father than you think Gajeel." I giggled when he gave me horrified look almost right before crossing his arms and assuming a sulking position, arching a non-existent eyebrow skeptically, "That's a good thing silly!"

"I bet I've become loads stronger than that jerk!" Gajeel seemed to way out the positive and negatives, right before getting sidetracked again, "I could probably beat his sorry ass the next time I see him!"

 _Yeah…_ I grinned, listening to Gajeel go on about how much of a jerk Metalicana was for leaving and how he would make him regret it dearly when he saw him again, _I bet Gajeel takes after Metalicana in quite a few ways; especially in his choice of words._ And for the first time ever, I didn't mind Gajeel talking the way he did. After all, Gajeel wouldn't be Gajeel if he spoke any differently. After his short rant, Gajeel went on to tell me all sorts of stories about his foster dad and I saw a specific glint in his eyes that I had never seen before. It was pride. Not for himself but for someone else and it showed me that although he may never have admitted it, he loved Metalicana.

 _I'm sure you'll find him one day. And I bet he's looking forward to a good fight with you too Gajeel._

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So that was chapter 4 :) I really hope you liked it. Next up is the Mr. Carlton's ball~ So what's it going to be like between Gajeel and Levy there? Is Lily gonna wear a suit too?

Find out in the next chapter coming up soon!


	6. Princess

Hey guys! Sorry it took so long! Things have been kind of crazy atm. I really hope you enjoy this chapter :)

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 **Chapter 6: Princess**

I was led down a long passageway in the villa belonging to Mr. Carlton. The maid that was accompanying me had intercepted me at the front door, separating me from Gajeel and Lily.

"I shall tend to these two." The butler had said with a bow before beckoning the two men to follow him. Pantherlily had done so without a moment to waste but Gajeel had hesitated, shooting a glance at me before following his pawed partner. I wasn't quite sure where the beautiful, black-haired maid was taking me but something told me that it had something to do with Cathy.

The past three days in Hargeon had been rather uneventful. To be honest, I'd spent most of my time looking around the town on my own seeing as Gajeel didn't care for sightseeing. Although the prospect of not spending any more time with Gajeel had left me feeling slightly disappointed, I had still managed to enjoy myself. I had spent an entire afternoon in Hargeon's central library, caught up in all sorts of books about ancient languages.

"Miss Cathy has been talking about you non-stop." The maid giggled, looking over her shoulder at me shortly before focusing on the path ahead again. "Really? What did she say?"

"She was talking about what a heroic, brave princess you are." I smiled. So Cathy thought I was a princess? And that only because of Gajeel's sarcastic comment? "That's so sweet." I muttered, letting my eyes skim the walls of the corridor we were walking through. The white walls were decorated with portraits of family members and pets as well as paintings depicting all sorts of scenery from around Hargeon. I caught myself wanting to stop every now and then to admire one of the paintings but I stopped myself, following the maid instead. I didn't know if we were following some sort of schedule and I'd hate to jumble everyone's plans for the sake of admiring a painting. "This is Miss Cathy's room." Said maid stopped, gesturing to the door to her left with her hand, "She will take care of you until the celebrations start. I shall join you later to attend to your attire."

"Thank you." I bowed to her before turning to the door, taking a moment to gather my thoughts. She was going to attend to my attire? What was I going to wear? When I thought back to the things Lucy had told me about that ball her, Erza, Elfman, Natsu and Gray had gone to, the only image that came up in my mind was a beautiful ballroom dress. How could I wear something like that without making it look silly? I was so small and those dresses so big. With a sigh, I pushed those thoughts away, placing my hand on the door handle and pushing down on it.

The room into which I entered was the stuff of fairy tales! Her bed stood in the middle of the room, elevated on a small pedestal that one could reach over two small steps. The bed itself was a four-poster-bed with a pink, silken duvet and beautiful pink curtains hanging from the golden poles connecting the four beams of the bed. My eyes drifted to the sitting arrangement situated maybe two meters in front of the bed. It consisted of a beautiful white and golden couch and one matching armchair. Her room reminded me a lot of Juvia's just that hers was pink instead of blue. She even had a little cat plushie sitting atop her bed with its many extremely soft-looking pillows. Cathy was sitting in the far left corner of her room on the floor, next to her bookshelf and in front of a handmade doll house. When I closed the door behind me, she swung around, a huge smile brightening up the room. "You came Princess!" She hurried over to me, giving me the biggest hug her little body could muster up, "I'm so glad you could make it!"

"Of course I'd come!" We made our way to the sitting arrangement, taking a seat on the couch, "How are you anyway?" I studied her carefully, happy to find that she had no bruises or scratches whatsoever. "I am fine thank you." She frowned, looking a little teary to me all of a sudden, "I should be asking you that question though Miss McGarden." Oh how much I hated it when people addressed me like that! I don't know why; it just didn't suit me. "Why do you say that?" It was quite a stupid question actually, considering the large bruise on my face. Even the maid had given me a strange look when she'd seen it. "You look all battered up!" Cathy replied, looking more and more upset the longer her bright eyes were scrutinizing the discoloration on my cheek. "It's half as bad as it looks." I assured her, playing with a strand of my hair a little, feeling slightly nervous about what Cathy and her maid were going to do with me. Also, I was worried that Gajeel might do something to embarrass us. Who knows what Gajeel would do if someone tried to force him to wear some over-fancy suit! _He has Lily with him Levy so don't worry._ I told myself, forcing myself to concentrate more on little Cathy. "Well you can be sure that I will ask my maid to do your makeup in such a way that one cannot see the bruise anymore." Sure it had started disappearing by now but as was normal for bruises that were disappearing, the edges were turning yellow. It looked terrible in my opinion and I was glad that I shared that sentiment with someone. I can't say that Gajeel and Lily cared much for the way I looked and somehow that bothered me. The only thing I ever got to hear from Gajeel was that my bruise looked pretty bad or that I'm a tiny little bookworm. It was frustrating to say the least. "What's your maid's name?" Another thing that bothered me. I didn't want to refer to her as 'maid' all the time. She was part of Cathy's family wasn't she? And even if she wasn't, she had a name as well! She might have been working for someone but that didn't make her less of a human! "Oh?" Cathy looked astonished, "Why would you worry about that?"

"Well because she's a person and not some slave." I tried to keep my voice calm, realizing only then that Cathy obviously didn't care much for her maid's name, "One should treat each other like family. Sure she works for your father but she still spends her life living with you."

"I never thought of it that way." Cathy looked down at her lap that was covered by her beautiful pink dress, "Her name is Isabelle."

"That's such a beautiful name." I smiled and Cathy nodded in agreement, "Isabelle really cares about you, you know that right?"

"I do." Cathy's already rosy cheeks became even rosier and her eyes began to sparkle, "She's been there ever since mother left. Father has time for me yes, but he can't always be available to look after me because of his business so Isabelle looks after me."

"So she really _is_ like family isn't she?"

"Indeed she is." Cathy nodded, looking as though she was remembering something, "She's taken really good care of me, Princess."

"It's good to have someone that looks after you." I chimed, "It makes you feel as though even when everything is falling apart around you, you have that anchor to keep you from being washed away."

"Exactly!" Cathy bounced up and down excitedly, seeming to forget to be all formal which I didn't mind in the slightest, "That's what Isabelle was like for me! She made sure that I never gave up on myself, no matter how hard things got." She paused for a little while before her eyes lit up again as though something came to her mind, "Do you have someone like that?"

"My entire guild is like that actually." I smiled, thinking about all my crazy friends at Fairy Tail; Jet and Droy in particular, "We're like a big family. Fairy Tail is a place where people without a family can find a place to belong."  
"That sounds amazing!"

"It is! When you're a little older, you should stop by Magnolia and come visit us."

"Alright! That's a promise! What about that man that saved us? Is he like an anchor for you too?"

"Y-you mean Gajeel?" I stiffened. Why did Gajeel always become a topic of discussion when I spoke to people nowadays?

"You called out his name while you were being hurt." She pushed her two index fingers together a little timidly, "You care for him a lot don't you?"

"What do you mean?!" I took a moment to think about what I was about to say before deciding that denial was futile. Although she hadn't said it, I knew she had me all figured out. "I guess I do care about him a lot… yeah."

"He is part of Fairy Tail as well isn't he?"

"Yeah." At my answer she got up, running over to a door that I only noticed now. It was situated in the far left corner of the room next to the dollhouse. This peculiar door ended up leading into a large, walk-in cupboard the size of a small bedroom. "Come on Princess!" Cathy disappeared inside and I followed her with a defeated smile. "What do you want to do in here?" Cathy was standing in front of a clothes rack full of beautiful dresses. I took a moment to look around, admiring all the different dresses and costumes that Cathy had neatly hung up on dozens of clothes racks. "I'm going to make sure that your prince notices you tonight Princess!"

"G-Gajeel isn't much of a prince… never mind _my_ prince Cathy." I felt my face warm up, this fact alone flustering me even more. Why couldn't those kind of comments about Gajeel just leave me cold? "Oh don't be silly." She turned to grin at me, "I know you like him." My face was burning up by the time she was done. Was it really that obvious? I averted my eyes when Cathy turned back to her dresses, pushing some aside and inspecting others while humming contently. Children always tended to be a little more aware of those sorts of things… I just hoped that no-one else had noticed. Most of all, I hoped that Gajeel hadn't noticed! But then again, all he had in his mind was fighting and Pantherlily… and maybe Metalicana but that was about it. What scared me the most though, was that my feelings for Gajeel were no longer a fleeting thought but instead, had manifested in such a way that a little girl had managed to pick up on them. She had said it out loud and that fact made my feelings even more real to me. It was frightening.

 _I knew he'd cause nothing but trouble._ I sighed, running my hand over my headband and it was only then that I noticed the absence of my flower pin. Did I lose it? I hope not! I really liked that flower pin! Jet had given it to me as a present, saying that my headband looked so plain without it. Before I could break into a panic over the loss of my favorite accessory, a gentle voice ripped me out of my thoughts. "Miss Cathy?" Before I could even respond, Cathy had sprinted past me, hurrying over to Isabelle while calling her name.  
To say the least, Isabelle had been extremely surprised by the fact that she was being addressed by her first name and eventually she had tears in her eyes. _I guess…_ I watched Cathy and Isabelle discuss the choice of my dress enthusiastically, _That's all she wanted… isn't it?_

* * *

Flowing blue silk sown together to form one of the most beautiful dresses I have ever seen. The top was asymmetric at the front, having only one strap draping over my left shoulder. The back was cut low, showing off my shoulders, which I personally was quite fond of, and also my Fairy Tail stamp. The bottom was sown in such a way that it stuck to my upper legs and loosened from my knees down. A silver belt was fastened to it in such a way that it rested on my hips lazily, draping across as asymmetrically as the top did. The very end of the dress at the bottom resembled a flower, spreading out in all directions, flowing loosely when I walked.

Isabelle fastened a white silken bandana around my head. Contrary to the way I would usually wear my bandanas, she tied it at the front, forming the ends into a delicate bow. After that she went on to curling my bangs a little more, twirling them around her finger carefully once she was done. "Now let's see what we do about your makeup." The makeup took her the longest. She put on a few layers of concealer that probably cost more than my monthly rent. Amazingly enough, it covered up the bruise completely and left my face looking absolutely immaculate. A thin line of eyeliner was added to my upper eyelid and a little blush was dabbed onto my cheeks. "I think that should do." She walked me over to the body-length mirror attached to Cathy's wall next to the cupboard. I felt myself draw in a sharp breath. I looked… beautiful! They hadn't forced me into one of the flamboyant dresses that so many women liked to wear at these sort of functions. Instead they had found a dress that complimented not just my body but also my personality. I felt completely at ease wearing this dress despite my inexperience with these sort of functions. In truth- I couldn't be happier!

"Are you nervous?" Isabelle asked me gently, brushing through my hair one last time.

"A little." I admitted, feeling my stomach twist the moment I had. Were there going to be a lot of people? What were they going to be like? Was I going to have to engage in frivolous small talk? Was Lily going to run around in his full form or was he going to stay small? Was Gajeel going to be wearing a suit? No! I couldn't imagine him wearing a suit. I giggled, thinking of how unhappy Gajeel would look if he had to wear one after all. "I'm sure you'll all have a great time." She took my hand, leading me out of Cathy's bedroom and down the long corridor along which I had walked not two hours earlier. _I feel… like a princess._ I watched the way the dress swayed as I walked. I concentrated on the feeling of it brushing over my legs gently as if caressing me, complimenting me. It felt good. With a carefree smile lingering on my face I walked through the hallway, making a few turns that disorientated me completely until I found myself standing at the top of a large flight of stairs, similar to the one in the entrance hall.

I was looking over a large ballroom that was extravagantly decorated with crystal chandeliers, ribbons of all colors and sizes hanging from the beams above our heads and balconies spotting the walls that looked like they were made out of gold. There were people standing all over, some simply chatting away happily and others dancing in the middle of the hall. I felt the air I was breathing get stuck in my throat and I cleared it, hoping that I wasn't about to start hyperventilating. I could smell the scent of burning candles and on closer inspection, I saw a large table standing at the one side of the ballroom, opposite to the staircase. It was filled with all sorts of different dishes and drinks that one could choose from. A few brave candles were decorating the table, their flames swaying yet burning relentlessly in the breeze that all the movement in the hall was creating. "Looks like the celebrations have started." Isabelle placed her hand on my back comfortingly, obviously having noticed me back up a little. There were so many people! So many people that I didn't know… I searched the vast crowd for faces that I recognized, finding Cathy sitting on a chair next to the buffet table. She was surrounded by adults that looked completely enraptured by what the girl was talking about so enthusiastically. So didn't Lily say that Gajeel was easy to find? Maybe for an Exceed but right then and there I was struggling. My eyes snapped back to Cathy when I saw her get up. She had spotted me and was running across the hall, dodging past dancing people masterfully. "Princess!" She called out once she was at the base of the stairs, drawing some people's attention to me, flustering me. "Hey Cathy." I greeted her once she had climbed to the top of the stairs.

"I knew you'd look amazing in that dress!" She sang, taking my hand and leading me down the stairs. As I walked, more and more people turned to look at me and I prayed that I wouldn't trip and fall. I was about halfway down the stairs when a familiar face appeared from behind the flight of stairs. It turns out there was a table at the base of the stairs that I hadn't seen from the top. Gajeel stopped at the foot of the stairs, watching my graceful descent with an aloof look on his face. Once I'd gathered all the courage I had in me, I locked eyes with him, searching his crimson eyes for any sort of emotion. At first I hadn't seen the smirk that spread across his face but once I had, I averted my eyes. I was still puzzling over what that smirk meant exactly when I arrived on solid ground. "Wow." Pantherlily walked out from behind Gajeel, giving me a whiskery smile, "You look amazing Levy."

"Thanks Lily." I shot a glance at the panther-like cat, noticing that he was wearing a tiny little tuxedo in white. Tuxedo… It was then that I noticed that Gajeel too was wearing a white tuxedo that made him look a lot more innocent and approachable than his torn, black coat. His hair was tied back in a ponytail, taming that mane of his and making his face look a lot more chiseled. "You look smart." I compliment both boys and Lily nodded a thank you but Gajeel was yet to respond. _Anything… please… Please just say something!_ I felt my brows pull together in an uncomfortable, self-conscious frown. This was so like him! He would rather watch me writhe in uncertainty than say anything to save me from it! "So they fixed that bruise of yours." His rough voice cut through my thoughts and I blinked, my face straightening out again. "Yeah… I mean it would have looked terrible to wear a dress like this when looking like a magic mobile ran me over." I watched his eyes look me over and I could almost feel his gaze on me, burning holes right through that beautiful dress, singeing my skin. I shifted, crossing my arms defensively, making him smirk. "And what's so damn funny huh?" I growled, my fluster getting the better of me. "Nothing." His eyes met mine again and I swallowed the lump that was forming in my throat, "So the tiny Shrimp can look all a grown-up after all."

"Is that seriously the only thing that you could think of saying?"  
"The one I thought was the nicest." His smirk turned into one of his razor sharp grins, getting me even more riled up. This guy was the worst! I looked daggers at him but that didn't seem to faze him at all. Cathy and Lily were watching our exchange rather bemusedly which I couldn't quite relate to because this was _not_ funny! This was exhausting and humiliating! I hated being at a loss for words. How could someone who filled their mind with thousands of words a day, find nothing to say? I always had something to say… just not when Gajeel looked at me the way he was. It made my heart beat faster and my legs would start feeling all wobbly. A fire would start burning behind my cheeks, spreading into my nose and into my ears.

Suddenly his smirk vanished and so did his one hand, diving into one of his pants pockets. "Don't look like you though." He added, taking two steps to stand in front of me. I was tempted to take a step back to increase the distance between us but I chose not to, curious as to what Gajeel was going to do. His hand emerged from his pocket again, bringing forth something very, very familiar. It had been the item he had fidgeted with while sitting out on the balcony not two nights before. Where had he gotten it from? When had I lost it? He placed one hand against the white bandana that was tied around my head, using the other hand to pin my purple flower-clip to the bandana in much the same way I would always wear it. "Thanks." I raised my hand to brush over the flower, almost as if I didn't believe that it was real and that Gajeel had just done that. He averted his eyes, watching two people dancing not too far from where we were standing. Cathy seemed to follow his gaze and moments later her eyes lit up and I almost groaned, knowing by now that that was a sure sign that she was planning something. "Lily, would you be so kind as to accompany me to the buffet table? I am parched!"

"You took the words right out of my mouth Miss Cathy!" The Exceed agreed readily, "I'd be happy to accompany you!"

"Should I come with ya Lily?" Gajeel shifted his weight from one foot to the next, looking a little disconcerted to me.

"There is no need but thank you Gajeel. I am sure you can find a way to make the best of the night without me around." Lily smiled at him shortly before walking off with Cathy, leaving Gajeel and myself all alone. I looked over my shoulder to the top of the stairs but Isabelle was no longer there. Sighing, I realized that this was probably going to be one of those tense, awkward moments where neither of us would know quite what to say. I anticipated that Gajeel would eventually just walk off to the buffet table and eat all the cutlery seeing as he did that at the guild too. I wondered what Mr. Carlton would say to that. I risked a glance at Gajeel who was still looking at anything _but_ me. It upset me. Was it that difficult to look at me? I felt like an eyesore for a moment. It felt like the beautiful dress I was wearing had become dull. I felt like the makeup Isabelle had put on me with such precision had vanished and that my hair was disheveled. Was I not beautiful enough? Was it because I was so small? My stomach twisted uncomfortably when I realized that Cathy had been wrong: Gajeel didn't notice me… he didn't care! I wrapped my arms around my aching stomach, feeling the urge to run back up those stairs and disappear out of sight for the rest of the night. How could I have thought that Gajeel would even care about the way I looked? He never had so why now? I was sure that Gajeel had other things on his mind, he always had…

"I hate these sorts of dos." Gajeel broke the silence, shifting his dragon-like eyes back to me. For a moment I fought with myself, trying to convince myself that Gajeel had really just started a conversation with me. It was then that I realized that he did look sort of out of place. "Really? Why though?"

"I don't like standing in the spotlight." I remembered that he hadn't even taken part in Fairy Tail's parade shortly after he joined the guild. Sure he had been all bandaged up after the fight with Laxus but so had Natsu and that hadn't stopped him from making his appearance. "That's funny coming from Mister _Shooby-doo-bop_." I teased him and he glared at me for a moment, "Besides, I'm sure they won't make us stand up on a stage or something." I tried to comfort him, feeling myself soften towards him again, "Just try and have a good time." I could tell by the look on his face that what I was telling him wasn't really helping. I knew that Gajeel couldn't have a good time at these sorts of things. He had a good time when he was up in the mountains training with Lily or when he was at the guild drinking some ale after a job well done. That was his idea of a good time, not some fancy ball where he was forced into a tuxedo and good manners. "We can go soon just… let's stay a little longer… please..." His crimson eyes widened and his frame relaxed.

"Yeah okay…" He spoke so quietly that I almost hadn't heard him. His eyes rested on me for a while, scanning my face. When I cocked my head to the side, giving him a quizzical look, he grunted, looking away. He was watching a couple dance again, this giving me an idea that flustered me yet simultaneously triggered a flutter of excitement that made me feel slightly dizzy. "Hey, do you want to dance with me again?"

"I don't dance Tiny!" he protested, wanting to cross his arms in front of his chest but the suit was too tight around his shoulders so he couldn't, upsetting him even more. "Here." I took a step closer to him, pulling the jacket off of his shoulders and over his arms until he was freed from it, placing it over one of the chairs standing at the base of the stairs, "Better?" He nodded, seeming a little puzzled. He wasn't the only one that was puzzled though… What was I doing? Why was I doing this? Was I really going to dance with Gajeel at this ball? Lucy had danced with Natsu and things hadn't gone all awkward between the two of them so why should I worry? But I would be so close to him! Normally I wouldn't have thought twice about any of the things I was about to do. It used to feel almost like second nature. Being close to Gajeel was something that seemed completely natural. Now that I suspected having feelings for him though, everything was very different. I felt my mouth twist into a crooked, thoughtful frown which Gajeel observed quietly, waiting out to see which emotion won the fight that was going on inside of me, obviously projecting onto my face. _It's either stand here, suffocated by an awkward silence for another two hours or make the best of tonight seeing as Gajeel won't._ I took a quiet, deep breath before taking a hold of Gajeel's hand and pulling him towards the middle of the hall with the words: "Come on Gajeel! At least _try_ and have some fun!"

"Didn't I tell ya I 'aint dancing?" He slowed down a little, leaning back, forcing me to slow down as well.

"I've heard that from you before." I turned to him, resting my one hand on his shoulder and lifting the other hand that was still holding onto his, "After this we can leave, promise." I tried to put on a pleading face and I watched as his face shifted. Somehow and that for the first time ever, a certain feeling betrayed him: Gajeel's normally so steely cheeks were brought to life by a subtle red tinge and his hand tightened around mine. I felt my heart skip a beat when he forced himself to make eye contact with me before speaking up. "Don't think I'm gonna dance with you all the time…" He trailed off. I knew there was something else he wanted to say, no doubt add one of the many nicknames he had thought up for me but for some reason he had chosen against it and that for the first time ever. What had he wanted to call me?

My eyes found Cathy standing by the buffet table, talking to Lily about something. As if she had sensed that I had been looking at her, her eyes found mine. She smiled at me.

" _I'm going to make sure that your prince notices you tonight Princess!"_ Her words from earlier echoed in my mind. Could it really be that he noticed me? Did he really see me as more than just a smallfry? I let him lead me across the dance floor and somehow I got the impression that he had improved a little… "You smell different." He noted and I pursed my lips. I kept forgetting that Gajeel had an extremely keen sense of smell.

"Yeah. Isabelle put some perfume on me that she thought would go nicely with the dress."

"Well it smells nice."

"I'm glad you like it." The music changed and the people around us started to slow dance. I took a step closer to Gajeel, wrapping my arms around his neck a little shakily. His neck was warm. His hands found my waist and he held onto me firmly, continuing his lead that I followed willingly. While we swayed from side to side gently, I couldn't help but wonder why Gajeel was dancing with me the way he was. Did he maybe…?

 _No…_ I watched Gajeel's face carefully but no matter how hard I tried to find any sort of affection in his eyes, I found none. _I don't think he likes me in that way._ I tightened my hold around his neck slowly. _Can iron do anything else but keep things out?_ But despite being convinced that Gajeel felt nothing, something happened between us that evening. Gajeel did something with me, which he hadn't done with anyone else. He danced with me and just for that moment, he held me closer than he had anyone else.

* * *

And there you have it! I really hope you enjoyed this chapter. Reviews are appreciated! Until next time and thank you so much for taking the time to read my fanfiction!


	7. Butterflies and Thorns

Hey you guys~ Thank you for your reviews so far! I really, really appreciate it! So here you have chapter 7! Sorry it took so long. I hope you enjoy!

* * *

 **Chapter 7: Butterflies and Thorns**  


"I'm heading over to the guild. Ya coming?" I looked to my left at the road that led to Fairy Hills. I was surprised that Gajeel even knew that that was the way to my home. I then looked in the exact opposite direction to the outskirts of town, there where our sad excuse for a guildhall stood. "I guess so." I muttered, following the much taller Gajeel and his partner through town.

It was over… it was really over. I still couldn't quite believe it. On the one hand I was happy to be back in Magnolia; happy to see my friends again- to see Droy and Jet again. At the same time, I felt surprisingly sad. An uncomfortable heaviness spread throughout my stomach and I wondered whether I was going to be able to eat anything for the rest of the day. I had enjoyed my time in Hargeon more than I would have dreamed. It wasn't just the town though. It also wasn't the people, the reward or having saved Cathy. Yes, all of those things made the experience one I wasn't soon to forget but the one thing I had loved the most was spending time with Gajeel. Thinking back to the way I had first met him, it was almost hilarious that of all people, I was the one who yearned to be close to him. Normally I would never admit to something like that but my time in Hargeon had shown me that I was probably falling head over heels for the idiot. I didn't want something like that to happen… sort of… and although I kept trying to deny it, I knew that I felt strange every time I was around him.

Maybe it was just some form of admiration? He _had_ saved my life on numerous occasions after all and I'd be lying if I didn't find his abilities pretty impressive. So was it that? Simple admiration?

I frowned. I watched the back of Gajeel's head, noting the way his long hair swayed with his movements. Maybe I was just extremely grateful for what he had done on Tenrou Island?

"So what are you going to do now Levy?" A voice that I had wasn't expecting spoke up and I directed my gaze at the ground to where the black cat was padding along without a care in the world. "I'll probably take some time off."

"Yeah since you worked so hard." Gajeel threw in sarcastically.

"What's the supposed to mean?" My eyes narrowed dangerously and in response Gajeel's mouth widened into a grin, "I was the one to cook for you every damn evening _and_ morning and mind you, you eat like a freaking horse! I cleaned the hotel before we left! I did the damn washing! I got beaten to a pulp to save Cathy and what did you do? Okay sure you showed up at just the right moment but come on! You even ate all the cutlery at the hotel! Do you know how awkward that was to explain to the landlord?"

"Don't need to get all huffy about it." He put his hand on my head, ruffling through my hair, "Gee for a smallfry you sure as hell get angry."

"Well that's because you're infuriating!" Again I noticed my face heat up and eventually I was forced to avert my eyes to prevent my face from turning even redder. Why did he always have to look at me like that? It was almost unbearable to have him grin at me, never mind the way his eyes would always watch me carefully. Was that a dragon slayer thing? It was then that I had an idea. If anyone knew the answers to all the questions I had about dragon slayers and my stupid supposed feelings towards one of their kind, Lucy would! She was really close friends with Natsu right? I'm sure she knew all kinds of stuff about them! "Actually-," I changed the subject abruptly, "I think I might go and talk to Lucy for a while."

"Bunny-girl? Why would you wanna talk to that cheerleader?"

"Well because she's my friend." Gajeel grunted at that but didn't say anything. Eventually the three of us fell into a comfortable silence similar to the one we had settled on during our train ride home.

 _I guess things have gone back to normal…_

And although that realization had a bitter-sweet taste to it, I decided that it was probably for the best…

* * *

Gajeel pushed the door open, marching into the guild with nothing short of confidence. I followed him a little more slowly, waiting for my eyes to adjust to the darker light inside before continuing. I was surprised to find that the guild was rather empty. Cana was there, holding a jug filled to the brim with ale in her hand. She was sitting at a table with Macao, discussing something related to alcohol while Macao tried to change the subject seeing as Romeo was sitting at the table with them. Mira and Lisanna were at the bar, Lisanna obviously having taken to helping her sister around the guild a little. Warren was sitting with a few other members but… it was so quiet. Natsu wasn't anywhere to be seen and the absence of Juvia and Gray led me to assume that they were yet to return from their job. "Hey Levy!" Lucy was sitting at one of the round wooden tables, nursing a cup of tea while holding a book. I made my way over to her, shooting a glance at Gajeel before sitting down. He was sauntering over to the bar, no doubt to order a drink. "I am so glad you're back!" Lucy sighed dramatically, "I'm seconds away from losing my mind!"

"Why that?"

"Well Natsu isn't here because he's running after Gildarts again- what a surprise! Erza is off running some errands with Bisca and Gray isn't here yet! I've been totally bored out of my mind!" I eyed the book she had been reading, smiling when I recognized it. It was a romance novel about a girl that was madly in love with a painfully oblivious, good-looking student at a law school. "Well on a more positive note: how was your mission?"

"Oh it wasn't too bad."  
"I'm surprised you didn't come running back after day one." She giggled and I joined in, knowing that she had said that because I was one of the first people in Fairy Tail to agree to go on a job with Gajeel. "He really isn't that bad. To be honest I kind of enjoyed my time there."

"Oh!" She cooed playfully, "So you and him hey?" A fire flared up behind my cheeks and I reflexively moved my hands to cover my them in a pathetic attempt to hide my blush. "Oh come on Lu-chan! It's not like that!" I blurted out. The playful look on Lucy's face vanished instantaneously, replaced by a look of realization. I had just dug my own grave.

"Wait…" Her brown eyes widened. She brushed her loose blond hair back over her shoulder before leaning closer to me to whisper, "You like him don't you?" Millions of excuses and explanations ran through my mind but each one sounded worse than the one before. I wanted to tell her that she had it all wrong. I wanted to laugh and say that there was no way I would fall for a brute like Gajeel I wanted to remind her of the way Gajeel had acted the first time we had met and that there was no way I would be able to develop feelings for him after that. I wanted to get up and run away, cry, change the subject, scream…

This was all his fault!

"What?" The word slipped out of my mouth before I could stop it and Lucy laughed a little, picking up on how distraught her question had made me. "Well?" Although those excuses were still buzzing around in the back of my mind, I knew that there was absolutely no point in denying something I was still trying to figure out myself. And hadn't I wanted to ask Lucy for advice anyway? "I don't really know." I finally admitted. Lucy looked around the guild, checking Gajeel to see if he could hear us before scooting closer. "How about we go for a walk?" I nodded, following my friend out of the guild, willing myself not to look in Gajeel's direction while we walked.

We ended up sitting in front of the chicken pen again on that same rock, watching the clumsy birds scurry across the floor, pecking and scratching at the floor zealously. Mira must have scattered some food for them across the floor of the pen not too long ago. "I'm guessing he's got good ears."

"Just like Natsu but not like Cobra." Lucy nodded, "So how about you start from the beginning?"

"I don't think there's much to say. I just feel really weird around him."

"What kind of weird?"

"The kind of weird where I say stupid things and trip over words. Every time he tries to spite me I fall for it like some mouse repeatedly getting trapped in some sick mouse trap."

"Well when did it start?"  
"I'd say during the job. We were walking across Hargeon Festival looking for Cathy."

"Did you find her?" Lucy interjected and when I nodded, she grinned, "Oh wow I'm so glad!"

"Me too! She's so sweet!" I paused before coming back to the topic at hand again, "We were supposed to act natural and I accidentally took a hold of his arm. It felt like hundreds of butterflies were flying around my stomach."

"What did Gajeel do?"

"Oh you know… he was just being Gajeel. Nothing special." She nodded for me to continue and I did, "Well that's when I first started thinking about the fact that I might just like him. I mean, why else would I feel so flustered around him all of a sudden? Then we were invited to a ball hosted by the man who hired us. Gajeel was wearing a suit and we danced and stuff."

"So like back when Natsu and I were practicing for our ball?"

"Yeah… I guess it was like that. After we danced we still got something to eat and went home. We had to leave Lily there which was something Gajeel wasn't too happy about. He was ranting about it until we got home and I made him a snack. After that he went out onto the balcony and stayed there for what felt like hours. I didn't see him again that evening and I also didn't go check on him when he didn't come back in. I didn't want to intrude you know?" Again Lucy nodded, "I'm guessing he went to sleep sometime after I did."

"Well it does kind of sound like you might like him." Lucy concluded, "How much is a question that can only be answered in good time."

"You're probably right… but why him? Why on earth did it have to go and be Gajeel?!"

"Now that I think of it, who else if not Gajeel?" Her knowing smile put me on edge. What on earth was that supposed to mean? As if Gajeel and I were made to be together or something! The guy had assaulted me the first time we met and pinned me to a tree after vandalizing my stomach with icky black paint! How was that a fairy tale meeting? He was a brute who thought of nothing but fighting and strength. I was a bookwork who enjoyed a good read and learning as much as I could. I doubted that Gajeel had ever really picked up a book to read. "How about you just wait and see? You'll understand what I mean by that soon enough." Obviously my pondering had projected onto my face. Lucy was now looking up at the sky with a dreamy sort of expression, a gentle smile playing at the corners of her mouth. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, anything."  
"Why the hell are dragon slayers so damn weird?" She burst out laughing, bending forward a little. It took her quite some time to compose herself enough to talk again and by the time she had, I was smiling again. I loved seeing her laugh. She had been through so much, let alone during Phantom Lord's attack. It was nice to see that she was still able to laugh the way she did after all of that.

"You're asking me? I think I went and got the weirdest of them all!" Now I too started laughing, leaning into her shoulder a little while I did.

Well weren't we damned? Both of us were probably falling for dragon slayers…

"Do you think they even think of things like relationships?" I worded the question that had been bugging me ever since Gajeel had told me about Metalicana. "I don't know. I guess that all depends on what their dragon taught them." Lucy sounded subdued now, her jolly tone having vanished completely. I guess I wasn't the only one who was plagued by that question. "But somehow… I don't really think so."

The doors of the guild were swung open and Gajeel walked out, Pantherlily struggling to keep up to him, what with his stubby little legs, "Gajeel are you sure about this?" He asked his partner, sounding a little alarmed to me. The breeze picked up, whipping through my hair. Gajeel stopped, looking around before his eyes came to rest on me. I studied the look on his face for a moment before a fluttering object in his hand caught my attention. "You're taking another job?" I got up, forgetting all about Lucy for a moment.

"Yeah and?"

"Don't you think it's a little early to take another job?"

"He won't listen to me." Lily crossed his arms across his furry chest. He looked quite upset to me, "I keep telling him that he should at least take a short break; wait until tomorrow."

"C'mon as if the job in Hargeon was a-."

"Don't say it wasn't a challenge!" I interrupted him, my temper getting the better of me the way it so often did around Gajeel, "Because you know as well as I do that that was not the reason you took it!" Gajeel's eyes flicked to Pantherlily who looked slightly nervous all of a sudden. I guessed that Lily telling me about Gajeel's reasons behind taking the job wasn't something that Gajeel was very happy about. "We found the kid and I didn't get much of a fight out of it. Now I'm gonna go teach some weakling a lesson- no big deal." Something was wrong. The way he was talking… he never referred to a job as an excuse to hurt someone. That was something he would have said during his Phantom Lord days, not now… so why did he go and say it like that? Was there something upsetting him? Making him feel the need to let his frustration out on something, someone? What was this uneasy feeling I was having?

"Can we go now cat or are ya gonna keep complaining? If you don't wanna come, I can go on my own." And with that Gajeel began making his way across the open space in front of the guild, heading for the path that led down to the city. "I'm sorry about him…" Lily apologized briefly before trotting after Gajeel, no doubt on the verge of telling him off for his rudeness.

"What on earth was that all about?" Lucy asked me, watching Gajeel walk off, "Did something happen to upset him or why is he so funny?"

"I have no idea…"

All I knew was that I had an extremely bad feeling about this…

* * *

Two days passed and yet no-one heard anything from Gajeel or Pantherlily. Lucy and I had eventually asked Mira what kind of job Gajeel had taken. It was a job in a neighboring town. They were having trouble with a dark wizard. Some were referring to her as a witch that was casting dark spells on the civilians. "It shouldn't have been a challenge for Gajeel." Mira had said, "I gave him that one in particular because I thought that he'd be back within a few hours." To say the least, Mira was just as worried as I was it seems. Natsu had eventually returned to the guild with a big bruise on his forehead, muttering something about Gildarts being a bully. Juvia and Gray had returned a day after Gajeel had left.

"So what do we do?" I was sitting at a table with Erza, Gray, Natsu and Lucy, "I'd ask Jet to run over there and check but Droy and him still aren't back from their job."

"Aren't we worrying a little too much?" Gray asked the round but Natsu was quick to shake his head.

"I agree with Levy. There's something not right."

"What do you mean?" Lucy asked him, watching his face carefully. A deep frown had etched itself into his normally so carefree face.

"I can feel it… Besides, think about it: Mira said the job should have only taken Gajeel a few hours."

"So maybe they went sightseeing?" Gray added.

"He didn't even go sightseeing with me when I begged him to in Hargeon." I begged to differ and Gray nodded, seeming to see where we were going with this. "Is there any way we can contact him?" Erza chipped in and all of us started to throw in some suggestions.

"We could just scream really loud, maybe he'll hear us."  
"Don't be an idiot flame for brains!" Gray growled.

"Well how about you come up with a better solution then you sick pervert?!" Natsu retorted, getting ready to stand up, as was Gray.

"Don't you think now is not the time to fight amongst yourselves?" Erza said calmly. It was the fact that she was so calm that got Natsu and Gray seated quietly within seconds. "Why don't we just ask Warren?" I suggested and everyone's faces seemed to light up.

"That's a brilliant idea!" Lucy cheered, "Hey Warren! Come over here a minute!" The telepathy wizard looked up from the table he was sitting at with Macao. "What can I help you with?" He got up, coming over to our little table with a curious look on his face. It wasn't often that Lucy would talk to Warren so I was suspecting that he knew there was something up. "Can you use your telepathy to contact Gajeel?" I asked him and he cocked his head to the side a little, signaling his confusion at my request. "Is something wrong?"

"Come on just do it!" Natsu urged him impatiently, "We think something's wrong so get a move on!"

"Okay, okay. Cool down." Gray grunted at the irony of what Warren had just said but Natsu was too worked up to care. I watched the fire in Natsu's eyes for a moment. He was really upset. I had heard about the legendary fight between Gajeel and Natsu from Lucy. Natsu had been furious at him for what he had done to the guildhall. He had sworn that he would never become friends with someone like Gajeel. Looking at Natsu now though, I couldn't help but wonder if Gajeel had become more important to him than he might have thought possible. Wasn't that the case with all of us? We had all had our apprehensions about him joining the guild but now, here everyone was, worried about him. Warren held his index and middle finger to his temple, closing his eyes and concentrating. The longer he tried, the more confused he looked. "It's not working."  
"Then try harder!" Natsu croaked. Warren really did try harder but no matter how hard he tried, Gajeel didn't answer.

"Isn't Pantherlily with him?" Lucy asked us and we all nodded, "So try and contact him?"

"Good idea Luce!" Natsu grinned at her appreciatively and she smiled back.

"Alright I'll try that." Warren announced, closing his eyes again and using his magic to contact the Exceed. Neither of us heard the conversation between Lily and Warren but we could guess by the frown that spread across his face that there was something wrong. After about five minutes, Warren opened his eyes again. "And?" Again Natsu was the first to speak up, "What did he say?" Happy flew over to us, landing on the table. He had picked up on Natsu's urgency and was now looking at all of us worriedly. "Something went wrong." Warren finally spilt the beans. A tight knot was forming in my stomach and my heart started to beat a little faster. My legs bobbed up and down beneath the table and I pursed my lips. "What happened?" Erza asked calmly.

"They were there to find that witch and scare her off. It shouldn't have been a problem for them. Well that's what Pantherlily told me… They found her and started to fight her but something threw Gajeel off. Lily didn't want to tell me what though. The witch used that moment of discomposure to attack him and ever since then he's been unconscious. Lily's been trying to find a way to get him back to Fairy Tail but he can't stay in his full form long enough to do so."

"We'll go get him!" Natsu got up, clenching his hands into tight fists, "Are you ready Happy?"

"Aye!"

"Natsu be careful! That dark wizard is still around there somewhere." Erza instructed him and Natsu nodded, "He's over in the town to the west of Magnolia."

"I'll let Lily know that you're on your way. I'll tell him to meet you at the large council building in the center of town." Warren added and without further ado, Natsu sprinted out of the guild, closely followed by his exceed partner.

So… something had gone wrong after all…

"Are you okay?" A hand was placed on my shoulder and I zoned back in, only realizing then that I had been staring down at the tabletop. It was Lucy. She had scooted closer to me to comfort me, "You've gone all pale."

"I should have stopped him." I muttered, "I should have told him that it was reckless to go on another job immediately."

"You know he probably wouldn't have listened to you." Gray joined in in an attempt to ease my guilty conscience.

"Gray's right." Lucy agreed, rubbing my back comfortingly, "I'm sure Gajeel will be fine. The witch probably just put a sleeping spell on him so she could get away."

"I agree with Lucy." Erza chipped in, "Try to keep in mind that Gajeel is a dragon slayer. They tend to be quite hardy."

"I hope you're right." My voice was surprisingly hoarse. It hurt to talk so I resigned myself to sitting there, bathing in the comfort Lucy was giving me while worrying and waiting…

Soon the news had spread throughout the entire guild and everything had gone surprisingly quiet. Everyone just waited… that's all we could do.

Wait.

* * *

Sooo there you have it! What's going to happen to Gajeel? What kind of spell did that dark mage cast on him? Will Levy be able to help him this time?

Find out in the next chapter~

Reviews are appreciated! Until next time!

Thanks for reading!


	8. Gone

Hey guys~ thank you so, so much for all your feedback! It means so much to me! I'm so glad you're enjoying the fanfiction so far!

* * *

 **Chapter 8: Gone**

Two hours.

It took Natsu two hours to come back.

In the meantime, we had informed Master Makarov about the circumstances and now he was perched atop the bar, arms crossed and a deep frown etched into his wrinkly face. Juvia was pacing up and down, worrying about her longtime friend. Everything had gone extremely quiet and even Cana had paused her drinking to wait for Natsu to return. Even Laxus, who had come back from a mission with his team shortly after Natsu had left, looked slightly concerned. I had tried to distract myself by reading a book I found lying around but all I did was end up reading the same paragraph over and over again.

"I think I can hear something." Carla scrambled off of Wendy's lap, climbing onto the table the sky dragon slayer had been sitting at. Her white ears were perked towards the entrance of the guild. My stomach made an uncomfortable leap and my hands began shaking. Was he going to be badly hurt? Was there going to be a lot of blood? Gajeel didn't tend to bleed a lot, much like Natsu, but still…

The door fell open and Natsu stumbled in, hauling one of Gajeel's arms over his shoulders, dragging the unconscious wizard through the doorway. Elfman got to his feet immediately, coming to Natsu's aid just as Laxus did. Pantherlily staggered to the side with an exhausted huff, his tiny little body shaking from the exertion. I exchanged a look with Wendy and the two of us nodded, knowing what the other was thinking. We pulled together eight chairs, forming a makeshift bed while Mira hurried to get out a spare blanket she had stowed away behind the bar. She spread the fluffy grey blanket out over the wooden chairs. "When the hell did he get so heavy?" Elfman complained gruffly, heaving Gajeel's limp body onto the chairs. They struggled a bit when one of the chairs slid out from underneath Gajeel but with everyone's help, Gajeel was soon lying safely on our makeshift bed. "Can you help 'em?" Natsu shot an anxious glance at Wendy. She walked over to Gajeel, crouching down in front of him. She placed a hand on his forehead, closing her eyes and concentrating hard. Carla moved to stand next to Wendy, keeping a very watchful eye over her companion. "Don't overdo it child." She reminded Wendy when the girl cringed. "I'm going to do whatever it takes to help him. Even if it means I'll run out of magic energy- I want to help him!" She insisted, using her magic to extract the dark magic from Gajeel. We watched in silence, all of us hoping that Wendy could heal him. After another minute or two longer, that felt more like ages to me, Wendy got up, moving to stand back. "That should do it." She whispered. All eyes were on Gajeel and yet again we were forced to wait…

"Something's wrong…" Natsu muttered. When I turned my head to look at him, I saw that he was frowning. His body was rigid, as though he was preparing for a fight. The veins on his arms were showing slightly and his eyes were narrow. "What do you mean Natsu?" Lucy asked him worriedly, able to decipher his body language a lot better than I could. I took a step back, bumping into Cana who was standing directly behind me. "You smell that Wendy?" Natsu seemingly ignored Lucy's question.

"Yeah… I thought I was imagining it but I guess he does smell kind of different."

"What's it mean Salamander?" Laxus asked Natsu who only shook his head. When I saw him tense even more, I reverted my gaze back to Gajeel who had just stirred. All of us held our breath, watching his face shift slightly. What had Natsu meant when he had said that Gajeel smelt different? Was that a bad thing? Yet again I was confronted with how little I actually knew about dragon slayers.

My thoughts were interrupted when Gajeel lifted his arms to lay them on the flat of his stomach. Then- he opened his eyes.

No-one said anything. We waited and watched as Gajeel gazed at the ceiling, looking completely disorientated. His non-existent eyebrows furrowed and he sat up slowly, groaning when it obviously hurt to do. As if completely oblivious to our presence, he inspected his arms, his eyes coming to rest on his right, upper arm. "-the hell did it go?" My hand shot up to cover my mouth while tears began to pour down my cheeks. Natsu balled his hands into tight fists, clenching his jaw. Juvia had backed away and Wendy had ordered Carla to get behind her. Everyone's minds seemed to click and the circle around Gajeel became slightly larger. The only people who hadn't moved were Lucy, Natsu, Wendy and myself. Erza probably also hadn't but she was standing behind me so I couldn't see her. "So can someone tell me what the hell is going on here?" His eyes came to rest on me almost immediately and I choked, refraining from coughing when it felt like the air I had wanted to breathe out got stuck in my throat. My eyes were no doubt trembling, burning from the tears that were betraying me. I searched his eyes yet there was absolutely no recognition in them. "You and I were on a job and you got knocked unconscious." Lily spoke up, drawing up next to me. The frown on Gajeel's face got even deeper, the knot in my stomach mirroring this, becoming tighter and tighter the more I began to realize that-.

"You don't remember, do you?" Wendy asked him warily. He scanned her face for a moment before something caught his attention. The moment his eyes fell on the blue Fairy Tail stamp on Wendy's arm, his face straightened out, realization sparking into his dark eyes. "No shit." Before I even realized what had happened, he had gotten up, taking a large step to stand in front of Wendy. Natsu was off like a spring, leaping forward and blocking Gajeel's path before he could get to her. "I thought you smelt funny, now I know why." Natsu was almost yelling at him. It seems like that was the first time Gajeel had really registered Natsu. "Well you stink." He retorted, his mouth twisting into a sick grin, "You wanna a piece of this?!" Without waiting for an answer, he drew his arm back, turning it into an iron rod and sending it plunging forward, launching Natsu into the air and through the roof. "Gajeel stop it!" The words spilled out of my mouth, formed by my hoarse voice that vanished into mortified silence seconds later. His eyes snapped back to mine and he was in front of me in seconds. "What was that tiny?"

" _Well would you look at that? I found myself some fairies to toy with."_

" _Levy- run!"_

My eyes grew wide with fear, adrenaline coursing through my veins and making my body jittery. I wanted to move, I wanted to run but just like the first time Gajeel and I had met, my body refused to obey me. Why was I thinking of this now of all times?! I didn't want to remember what Gajeel had done to us! I didn't want to remember the look on his face!Though… it was the same; the look on his face right in that moment was the same as it had been all those months ago while he had tortured us, like a cat playing with its prey.

I was terrified of him!

" _Please! Stop hurting them! Jett! Droy! Why are you doing this to them?!"_

" _Can't a guy have some fun?"_

He grunted, cocking his head to the side arrogantly. "You're pathetic!" He raised his arm into the air and I watched in horror as it turned into a sword, the spikes running along the blade moving in a chainsaw action. That thing was going to cut me right in half!

"Freed!"

"Right Master!" I was rebuffed by a wall that was suddenly erected between Gajeel and me. I landed on the ground right at Cana's feet. When I looked up, I realized that Freed had Gajeel trapped in one of his barriers. "What is this?!" Gajeel brought his fists down on the barrier, hammering against it with all his might, "Let me out of here damn it!"

"I'm afraid we cannot do that." The crowd parted to let Makarov through. He looked even graver than he had after we had told him that Gajeel was unconscious, "Gajeel… as much as it hurts me to do so, I am afraid that I will have to keep you locked away until we have found a cure for your condition."

"What are ye yapping about old man?!"

"Gajeel if you remember it or not, you are part of our guild. I cannot have you harm your fellow guild members. Once I am sure that you pose no threat, I will be glad to ask Freed to release you from your prison."

"Are you shitting me?!" Again he began beating against the barrier, getting more and more riled up the longer he did so. After that, no matter how many people tried to talk to him, he continued to yell and scream, cursing us and abusing the relentless barrier as much as he wanted to.

"Please Gajeel… stop." I whispered, sinking to the floor in a pitiful heap. Lucy hurried to my side to comfort me, Lily being quick to join her. "Why is this happening?" I sobbed, leaning into Lucy for comfort.

"I'm sure we'll find a cure." Lily patted my arm gently, "He's still in there somewhere, I know it!"

"Lily's right Levy! We'll find a way!"

I wanted to believe them, really I did! Just… he kept saying it, over and over again… It kept hurting me every time he said it, and I was certain that I would never forget the way he sounded when he said it.

"I'm going to kill every last one of you when I get out of here!"

* * *

"There should be enough food for you in case you get hungry." Mira put some supplies down on the bar top, "I'd be really grateful if you could make Gajeel something to eat in between as well. I'm sure he's starving by now."

"I'll do that."

"You can pass inanimate objects through the barrier." Freed came up behind me, moving to rest an elbow on the countertop, "I have programmed the barrier to alert me should anything go wrong."

"That's very thoughtful, thank you."

"We should be thanking you." Mira gave me one of her signature smiles, "It's really nice of you to offer to stay with him."

"Well the Master did say he doesn't like the idea of Gajeel being left to brood on his own." I tried to play it off a little.

"And you're sure you're going to be fine?" Lucy joined us after getting Natsu to calm down a little. He was sitting on the far end of the bar with Lisanna who was nursing the large bruise on his forehead. I could hear him mouth off about Gajeel from where I was standing which meant that Gajeel could no doubt hear him too. "I'll manage." I insisted for what felt like the tenth time. I looked at each person that was standing around me. They all looked like they were worrying about me.

It was now around about 11 o'clock, everyone except Freed, Laxus, Lisanna, Lucy, Natsu, Mirajane and I had left. So I was going to spend the night at the guild, looking after someone who probably hated my guts? "Freed you'll let me know if anything happens right?" Lucy shot him a stubborn look and he nodded,"I really hate leaving you here Levy." Lucy turned to me, "But it's getting pretty late and I guess we should be leaving…"

"I agree." Mira nodded, "Are you sure you have everything you need for the night?" I went through the list in my mind, nodding when I managed to put a tick next to everything I needed. I had gone back to Fairy Hills around 10 o'clock to get all my things, including my sleeping bag and an extra blanket for Gajeel "And you're sure you don't want me to stay here with you?" Lucy asked me for the fourth time that evening. I nodded. "Okay… well then let's go." Lucy gave me a quick hug before heading to Natsu to let him know they were leaving. Mira strode over to the door to wait for everyone, fumbling with a large bunch of keys, searching for the right one. "I have a question." Laxus drew my attention to him and I shifted a little uncomfortably. He had never really spoken to me. Contrary to the way he used to be when I first joined the guild, Laxus had made me fear him during his attack on Magnolia. This Laxus in front of me now though, was almost like the Laxus who had helped welcome me when I first walked through the guildhall doors. "What is it?"

"Why you? Why of all people did you volunteer to look after Gajeel?"

"You mean considering he tried to attack me three hours ago?"

"That and because of what he did to you and your team when Phantom Lord attacked."

"Because I'm not going to let him make that same mistake again. I know how much his actions towards us during his Phantom Lord days bother him. I don't want him to suffer like that again."

"Alright." Seemingly satisfied with my answer, he walked off with Freed close at his heels. He nodded at Mirajane when he passed her, disappearing into the night. "I'll see you tomorrow morning." Lucy gave me another hug on her way out, so did Lisanna. I watched them walk out and close the door behind them. The click of the lock let me know that I was now locked in with Gajeel.

After about two hours of yelling and screaming earlier, Gajeel had resigned himself to sitting on the floor, staring up at the ceiling. When I turned around to face him, I found that he had closed his eyes. Was he maybe asleep? I could imagine that screaming like that must have been exhausting. I wondered if Gajeel could sense that I was still there. He could probably smell me. Could he hear my breathing or was that something only Cobra could hear well enough to do?

With a heavy sigh I made my way over to my bag that I had dropped next to one of the tables. I settled down at that table, lifting my shoulder bag onto my lap to inspect its content absentmindedly. I rummaged through the inside of the bag with my hand, trying to find anything that could help me pass the time. Although I had packed a book or two, I doubted that I was in any state of mind to read. Suddenly my hand brushed over something that felt almost unfamiliar to me. I wrapped my hand around the small sachet, lifting it out of my bag. My heart did a painful jump when I recognized the little baggy. I also knew what it contained.

The bracelet I had bought in Hargeon.

I laced my finger through the little ribbon holding the bag closed, pulling at it a little gingerly until it opened. I fished out the bracelet, weighing it in my hand idly. My mind went back to the night at the ball, to Cathy, to the Hargeon Festival. I remembered the way I had felt holding onto Gajeel's warm arm. I recalled the way it had felt to have Gajeel hold me so close while we danced.

Was that all over now? Was that Gajeel gone for good? Suddenly I missed his nicknames, I missed his patronizing way of talking to me sometimes. I missed the way he would always challenge me. I missed hearing him laugh- that unmistakable, strange laugh! An ache developed in my throat and my eyes filled with tears again. Gajeel was gone? No… He couldn't just be gone like that! He just couldn't! There were still so many things I had to tell him! What about my feelings for him? Had I missed my chance to tell him how much he means to me? Was it all over now?

 _But I need him!_

The thought ran through my mind and I let my head down on the table, sobbing.

Gajeel was gone…

He was gone.

* * *

And that was chapter 8! I was really hesitant about posting this chapter because I was scared you guys wouldn't like the development. Let me know what you think!

Until next time~


	9. Becoming Big

Hey guys! So here you have chapter 9! It took a while because I'm sick atm but thank you for waiting. I concentrating more on what's going on inside of Levy in this chapter and I gave some of the other characters some more 'screentime' so I hope it isn't too boring for you! I'm starting on chapter 10 later today and it'll have way more GajeelxLey stuff going on there~

* * *

 **Chapter 9: Becoming Big**

 _Being forgotten is one of the most painful things to have to endure._

"For the love of- just stop crying like a baby!" My head shot up and I blinked my tears away until I could see. Gajeel had tilted his head to the side to look at me. His browns were furrowed, suggesting annoyance. "I'm sorry." I wiped my tears away, "It's just been a really bad day."

"I would never have guessed." He muttered sarcastically, moving to stare up at the ceiling again. I watched him for a moment, watching the way his facial expression wavered ever the slightest. I watched the way his hair was pressed against the almost invisible barrier separating the two of us. I tried to tell myself that the man sitting in that barrier was still Gajeel. He _looked_ like Gajeel and for all it's worth he also spoke like him but that was about it. It was then that I realized just how much Gajeel had changed ever since he had joined the guild. I knew that it definitely had something to do with the Master. He had been the one who invited Gajeel to join our guild. He had been the first of us to show him mercy and that after all the horrible things he had done to us. Maybe it had been Makarov's unrelenting mercy that had saved Gajeel.

If I were to show him that same kind of mercy now, would it change anything? I had wanted to be the one to help Gajeel. I kept going on and on about helping him so why did I keep hesitating when I finally had the chance to? If I kept hesitating like that, the chance would vanish and I would end up wishing I had just gone and done something! Gajeel never hesitated. He just did! Why couldn't I just…? No. This time was going to be different! I was going to be the one to save him!

As if my body had made the decision for me, I had lifted my hand, writing the words _iron_ in the air in small, delicate letters while casting my spell. Before I knew it, the word iron turned into a solid iron font, falling onto the tabletop. I scooped the small word up in my hands, noting that the 'o' of the word was shaped like a heart. I got up shakily, the word in hand, and began making my way over to Gajeel. He was watching me do this, my spell obviously having caught his attention. I crouched down in front of the barrier, putting the word on the floor. "I know you like to have some iron to chew on in between." I muttered, feeling self-conscious all of a sudden. I felt like I was talking to a complete stranger. It was like I had read about him in Sorcerer's Weekly and was now trying to become friends with him. It felt weird and unnatural. I knew so much about him, about his past, about Metalicana and he probably couldn't even remember my name. "Here." I pushed it through the barrier and it came to a stop when it bumped into the metal cap on Gajeel's boot. "How did you know?"

"Look at your left arm." I instructed him and he did as I was told, his eyes growing wide when he saw the black Fairy Tail stamp there, "That's how." He shifted his attention from the stamp to the word still waiting at his feet. He hesitated for a moment before lifting it up, holding it up for him to smell. He then ran his tongue along the 'I' as if to make sure it was real. "You can make iron?" The words spilled out of his mouth and I caught myself smiling. "It's not the first time I did that for you."

"I don't remember." He sniffed at the iron one last time before opening his mouth and digging his seemingly indestructible teeth into the word, biting out a whole chunk of it in one go. I watched him chew, trying to figure out what the best course of action would be. He obviously thought we were keeping him prisoner so my best bet was to make sure he didn't see himself as one anymore. "If you're hungry, just let me know and I'll make you something to eat." He didn't respond to that. I gave him another minute or two to respond but once he didn't, I got up with a heavy sigh, ready to head for my table again. "What happened to Phantom Lord?" I froze, "There are only two ways for a wizard to lose their stamp." He was right. Either the wizard chose to abandon the guild or the guild was disbanded. If the guild no longer existed, the stamp would disappear on its own. "Phantom Lord was disbanded shortly after it was defeated by Fairy Tail."

"Let me guess… it was that loudmouth wasn't it?" I smiled at the way he spoke about Natsu. It reminded me of the way they would always talk about one another before everything had gotten all messed up. "Not just Natsu. It was all of us."

"You too?"

"No…" I bowed my head, "I was… somewhere else." I prayed that he wasn't going to ask for more details concerning that and I was relieved when he didn't. In fact, he didn't ask me any more questions whatsoever. It was like that was all he had needed to know.

Shortly after our little talk, I made him something to eat, setting it down in the same way I had set down the iron. I made sure he had something to drink and eventually put the blanket down for him to take if he needed it.

It was about one o'clock in the morning when I finally managed to settled down for some sleep. I was lying on the far side of the guild, a safe distance away from Gajeel or anything he could throw at me. I closed my eyes, snuggling into my sleeping bag as much as I could. I tried to tell myself that all of this was some sort bad dream and that falling asleep here would make me wake up on the other side.

As soon as I had settled down, my mind began working through the events of the day and the longer it did that, the worse the ache in my stomach became. I curled up slightly from the pain, wrapping my arms around my stomach.

 _I should have stopped him from going on that job._

I felt tears come to my eyes again but I forced them away. I knew that crying now would just make it more difficult for me to fall asleep. That and Gajeel would no doubt get mad at me if I did. I tried to think about the last book I had read, I started to translate random sentences into all sorts of ancient languages. I tried to recall the last missions I had been on with Jett and Droy. I did everything I could to stop my mind from wandering back to Gajeel but no matter how hard I tried, it was a task I was failing at. My mind kept bringing forth the same wish that had anchored itself deep in my mind ever since he had woken up. It kept coming up again, scratching at the back of my mind, begging for my attention. It was the kind of thought that left you incapable of doing anything else _but_ think it. It was the kind of thought that would leave you lying awake at night with tears in your tired eyes.

"I want Gajeel back…" I whispered just as sleep finally came to save me from the flurry of hurtful memories and thoughts running through my mind.

Little did I know that Gajeel had heard me…

* * *

"So start from the beginning Lily… what exactly happened on your job?" Makarov was the first to speak up once Erza, Laxus, Natsu, Makarov and myself had taken a seat at the table. Lily was seated in the middle of the tabletop, looking lost in thought. "Well, we went to the mayor to find out more about the witch. I didn't notice anything strange about Gajeel back then. Although he had been very short with me after the mission in Hargeon…"

"What do you mean?" Laxus interjected. I tensed. I had noticed it too of course, considering the way Gajeel had acted shortly before leaving.

"I got the impression that something was bothering him. He was acting the way he does when he loses a fight- frustrated."

"And that behavior continued throughout the start of your mission?" Lily nodded to answer Erza's question.

"So we went to the mayor and he filled us in on the dark mage's whereabouts. She was supposedly living in a small run-down house on the edge of town close to the forest. Gajeel and I went there and found her. We tried to talk to her first but it escalated into a full on fight. Everything was going well, that us, until we found out that she was a former member of Phantom Lord." Everyone drew in a sharp breath, "When I asked Gajeel about her, he told me he didn't remember her." Makarov nodded for Lily to continue when he paused to wait for any questions, "She seemed upset by the fact that he couldn't remember her. She then cast some sort of spell on him that didn't seem to take effect."

"What do you mean exactly?" Makarov asked.

"I don't remember exactly what she said. It was hard to keep track while the two of them were fighting. All I know is that the fight continued for another minute or two but then suddenly Gajeel froze. It was like he was set in stone, like a movie was playing out inside his mind. I tried to call his name but he wouldn't respond. Although the dark mage was standing only about a meter away from Gajeel at that point, she didn't attack him. She seemed distant, almost as though she could see what he was seeing." Lily shook his head. He looked at an utter loss. There was no doubt in my mind that he was blaming some of this on him; Gajeel _is_ his partner after all. I reached out, scooping him up into my arms and placing him on my lap carefully. He didn't object, neither did anyone else say anything to it. In fact, Natsu even smiled at me. I ran my hand over the top of his head gently to calm him down and I felt his rigid little body relax and he leant into me a little. "What happened then Lily?" I asked him and he nodded numbly, seeming to zone back in. "As soon as Gajeel came back to his senses, so did the dark wizard and before either of us knew what was going on, she had cast the spell on him that made him fall asleep."

"Do you know what words she used when she cast it?" I asked him but he shook his head.

"It was a language that I am unfamiliar with."

"I'm more worried about the spell she cast on him before putting him to sleep with another." Erza muttered and most of us nodded.

"What about that one?" Natsu asked Lily but he shook his head.

"It was the same strange language."

"I suppose it is safe to assume that that mage used a dark spell on Gajeel then. They tend to be written in ancient languages." The Master grumbled, running his index finger and thumb over his mustache as he thought. "Master, is there any way for us to mend Gajeel's memory?" Erza asked Makarov. Everyone at the table stirred a little and I felt Lily tense in my arms again. I tightened my hold on him a little in an attempt to give him security. Was I really just trying to console him? Or was I looking for something to hold on to? Something that could give me some sort of hold on this entire situation. Something that would make me feel like I had solid ground underneath my feet again. "I'm afraid I do not know." He replied gravely, "Dark magic can do an extensive amount of damage my child. If we're lucky, the spell will just wear off as time passes."

"Maybe Lucy and Wendy will have some light to shed on the subject once they return." Laxus added.

That having been said, the group dispersed, everyone going to their own little corner to brood. Natsu went to find Happy who was sitting on the bar top talking to Lisanna about Carla. "Are you okay?" I let Lily go so that he could turn around to face me and he wobbled a little before finding his footing on my legs again. "I didn't manage to get an hour of sleep in last night." He confided in me, his ears drooping a little. It broke my heart to see Lily like this. Ever since I had started spending more time with Gajeel, I had also gotten to know Lily a lot better and I have to say that he had really, really grown on me. I didn't want him to be sad. I wanted him to be his happy, confident self again. "What about you?" He spoke up when I didn't reply to him, "How was your night here? I'm sure that couldn't have been easy for you."

"It wasn't." I sighed, "I guess when he's not around, or I'm not dealing with him, I somehow manage to convince myself that it isn't as bad as it seems; that he'll snap out of it at any moment and be his good old self again. Last night though, when I had to talk to him and stuff… I was confronted with the fact that no, he's not snapping out of it and no, he really… doesn't remember any of us. He doesn't remember Hargeon or Tenrou Island. He doesn't remember anything!" A gentle touch on my arm snapped me out of it and I realized that I had started crying. Pantherlily had placed his little paw on my forearm, a crooked smile playing at his lips. "I know how you feel. But I am confident that we will get him back. Gajeel is still in there, we just need to find a way to get him back to the surface."

"Are you sure?"

"No… but giving up on him wouldn't be fair on him. The reason I chose to become his partner is because I'm willing to fight at his side until the very end. This is a fight too, one that Gajeel can't fight. And if he can't fight, we have to fight for him- as his friends!"

"Because that's what it means to be a part of Fairy Tail." I felt myself smile. A small flame ignited in me in that moment. It was the flame of hope. Lily was right after all- there was no way we would ever give up Gajeel!

"That's how people become big." I whispered, my eyes finding Gajeel who was sitting in his cell, watching the people around him, "They become big by fighting for the people they love." And I was certain that there was no other person I would rather fight for than Gajeel.

* * *

"Levy we need you over here!" A familiar voice spoke up and I jolted to attention, straightening up immediately. My eyes found his pointy face and his orange hair immediately. "Jet!" I got up from the table I had been sitting at, hurrying over to him and flinging my arms around him in a big hug, "I cannot tell you how thankful I am that you're back!"

"I heard what happened." He frowned, letting go of me reluctantly, his hands brushing over my bare shoulders, "We ran into Lucy and Wendy in town and they asked me if I could bring you some of these books to decipher and speed-read through. They think they might help with Gajeel's condition."

"Where's Droy?"

"Come on Levy! You know I'm a lot faster than him. Lucy said it was pretty urgent so I hurried over here."

"Thank you so much Jet!" A wave of relief flooded over me and that little flame of hope found fuel, burning a little more brightly now. I don't know why I was so relieved that Jet and Droy were back from their mission but I was! They had always been an anchor for me in my time of need so I knew that they wouldn't let me down now either. "Of course Levy! Are you okay though?" He leant forward a little, placing his hand on my forehead, "You look really pale."

"Let's just say I didn't get a lot of sleep last night."

"Natsu told me that you stayed here to look after Gajeel?" I nodded, "Figures." A crooked smile spread across his face, "You would do something like that for him."

"What do you mean?"

"Don't worry about it Levy. We'll talk about all of that once that idiot comes back to his senses." I took a step closer, taking a hold of his shirt gingerly, hoping that would make me feel less insecure. It was only then that I really realized how distraught and haggard I was. All of this… it was far more taxing than I would have thought it would be. Why was this getting to me so much?

"It hurts not to be remembered by someone that means a lot to you Levy." My eyes widened and I nodded numbly for the sake of giving him a reaction, "You're not alone though and you can help him. In fact, right now you're the only one that can."

"What do you mean?" At that he turned away from me to one of the tables, gesturing to the pile of books he had placed there.

"Work you magic Levy." Jet was right! This was my chance to help him! I was the only one who could decipher old books in strange languages. I could find a reverse spell for the one cast on Gajeel! Could it be that I would finally be able to help him? "Clear some space for me on the floor Jet."

"There's the Levy we know and love." He patted me on the back gently before doing as I had requested, pushing a few chairs and desks aside to create a space big enough for me to spread out all my books. I rushed over to the bar where I had put my red shoulder brag, slinging it over my shoulder and returning to my space. Getting out pen and paper, I began spreading the books across the floor, getting out my gale-force glasses and opening the first book…

* * *

"Truth serum… No... that word doesn't mean serum; it means something else... but what?" I ran my hand through my blue hair, using my headband to tie it up and keep it out of my face, "So if you take this word and replace it with that…" The pen flew across the paper, scribbling out words and adding others. By now Lucy and Wendy were back with Droy and they were sitting at a table near me, watching me curiously. The guild had gone quiet, everyone trying to give me the peace and quiet I needed to work. "But then what about that word? What if I'm all wrong? Is this even the right spell?" I flipped to another chapter in the book that was lying in front of me, grabbing one of the other books with my free hand and pulling it to lie next to the one I was reading. I compared two paragraphs, frowning when I saw similarities but too many differences. "Lily?"

"What can I do for you Levy?" I jumped, not having expected him to reply so quickly. It turns out he had come to sit next to me, watching my work with curious button eyes. I had been so lost in thought that I hadn't noticed. "Describe what happened again please." Lily repeated the incident to me patiently, adding as many small details as he could. My eyes skimmed the paragraphs I had chosen, comparing the effects of the spells described in the book to the one that had been used on Gajeel. "I think it's this one!" I flipped closed the second book and pushed it away again. A gentle smile spread across my face when I realized that I was finally getting somewhere! It had taken me hours to work through all the books and filter out useful information.

"Hey." It felt to me as though my heart had skipped a beat and was struggling to find its rhythm again after that. My hand lifted to my chest and I had to take a deep breath before looking up. Gajeel was standing beside me, looking down at me with those red eyes of his. "When did you…?"

"Didn't ya hear? The old man had been talking to me and he decided to let me out."

"Oh that's great." I spoke at a quiet whisper. One look at Lucy let me know that she also wasn't quite sure what to think of this situation. Natsu had drawn up behind her, probably to protect her should Gajeel try anything. "What're you doing?"

"Trying to reverse the spell." I shifted my attention back to the books, trying to pretend like this was just like when Laxus had trapped some of us in the guild hall and I had had to decode the barrier to get Natsu and Gajeel out. From the corner of my eye, I could see Gajeel settle down next to me. Lily was the only thing separating me from Gajeel now. Lily though, seemed totally at ease with Gajeel's presence. In fact, he had hardly responded at all. "Try to focus Levy." He reminded me, obviously having picked up on how much Gajeel's presence threw me off.

"Right." I shifted my attention back to the spell, reading through it a few times and jotting down a few notes to it. Gajeel's eyes followed my pen, reading through what I had written down. "So can you tell us what kind of spell it was?" Lucy asked me and I nodded. Just like magic, the entire guild seemed to gather around us, listening in on what I was about to say. "It's a truth reverse spell. When cast, it connects the caster to his victim. Juvia, you had a spell similar to that on Tenrou Island remember? Just that it connected you emotionally and physically right?" The mage nodded, her face turning a little red due to whatever she was remembering, "Well it gave her the ability to look into his mind briefly. It shows her what's been occupying his mind the most in the past while. By doing this, she could use that information against him. In her case though, she used that knowledge to wipe his memory of whatever it was. Probably because she was upset that he had forgotten her."

"So she wiped his memory of the guild?" Gray concluded and I nodded.

"So how are ya gonna fix him?"

"To be honest… I'm still trying to figure that out." I answered Natsu's question.

"Don't give up!" Droy cheered and Jet agreed with a loud "Yeah!"

"I won't! I can't afford to give up!" I bent over the books again, sticking my pen into my mouth and biting down on it hard, disregarding the way my teeth ached when I did. I had to save Gajeel! I was so close! I knew what had happened, I knew what effects the spell had and I knew what words were used to cast the spell. Yet… I still didn't know if it was going to work. Even if I did have a reverse spell, I was terrified to cast something like that, afraid of what effect it would have on him. If I messed up even one word, one letter- I could cause him immense pain, worsen his condition… hell I could kill him! Dark magic wasn't meant to fix, it was meant to destroy so using that language, those words… it scared me senseless.

"Hey… girl with the glasses…"

"Huh?" I looked up at Gajeel, noticing only then that I had stopped writing again.

"What's your name?"

"Levy… Levy McGarden… Why do you ask?"

"I don't wanna forget it again." My eyes widened involuntarily and my vision blurred. I let out a half-hearted laugh, lifting my hand to wipe my tears away.

But in the end, I couldn't help but wonder... could I really save him?

What if I failed? What if I hurt him? What if I _killed_ him? Everyone had worked so hard to try and bring the old Gajeel back! What if that was impossible?

What if I just wasn't that big after all...?

* * *

There you go! I really hope you enjoyed it! Let me know what you think guys!

Until next time~


	10. Stranger

Hey guys!

First of all: thank you so, so much for all your amazing reviews! It means so much to me! Also, I'm finally starting to feel a little better!

So here you guys have Chapter 10~ I really hope you don't mind the twist in the story!

Enjoy!

* * *

 **Chapter 10: Stranger**

"I'm done." I closed the book, pushing it away from me and sitting up. Gajeel straightened up a little and Makarov came to join us. "Well done my child." He praised me and I forced a smile onto my face. I wasn't going to tell him how terrified I was of what was going to happen once the spell was cast. My eyes shifted from the Master to Gajeel who looked slightly uneasy. I couldn't blame him really. In fact, I couldn't help but wonder why on earth he was letting us do this to him. We could have who knows what planned for him and yet he still sat there, waiting for me to cast the spell. Sure he was obviously a little unsure about the situation but Gajeel was more than capable of defending himself and he knew it. Yet, he just sat there, watching me… "Before I cast the spell…" What was I doing? Why was I about to ask him that question? Why couldn't I just cast the damn spell and get it over with? "What changed your mind about wanting to kill us?" For a moment Gajeel just stared at me with that vacant expression on his face. After a few more seconds tough, he grunted, a smirk spreading across his face. "Who do ya think?" I averted my eyes, feeling my cheeks warm up a little, "Now hurry up before I change my mind!"

"Right!" I picked up the piece of paper, reading through the words a few more times, checking their meaning and making sure that I really was finished! "I really hope this works." I muttered, shooting a glance at Lucy who gave me a thumbs up. I took in a deep breath, lifting my hand to write out the spell in the air. I traced the letters carefully, reading them out loud as I did. My heart was hammering against my chest and I was having trouble breathing. My hand was shaking, forcing me to slow down in order to write the strange letters out correctly. I was so tense that I could feel a stomach ache develop in the pit of my stomach. Once the last word had been spoken and written, the words began glowing and Gajeel was engulfed in a dark purple light. His eyes widened and his entire body tensed. His hand lifted to frame the side of his face and he cringed notably. Suddenly something clicked. "Freed! Put him to sleep!" The wizard nodded, doing as I told him and Gajeel's eyes fell closed seconds later. His body tilted forward and I spread my arms out, catching him. I put his head down on my lap carefully, watching the way his face straightened out gradually. "It's probably best if we keep him under for a while. There has to be a reason why she put him to sleep when she cast the spell. She could have used him as a weapon against Lily if she hadn't needed to put him to sleep for the spell."

"That was pretty quick thinking." Laxus muttered, "You 'aint too bad." So is it a bad thing that I had no idea how to respond to a compliment from Laxus of all people? "Thanks…" I shifted my attention to Gajeel, watching his face carefully. I wanted him to open his eyes and use one of his nicknames for me. I wanted him to pick a fight with Natsu. I wanted him to pit Lily against Happy the way he loved to do. I wanted him to steal my spoon and eat it just to spite me. I wanted to argue with him the way I always used to. I wanted to hear him laugh… I wanted to feel his arms around me again…

Something had changed.

The prospect of losing him forever had become frighteningly real to me during this whole ordeal. On Tenrou Island I had been afraid for him yes, but somehow I hadn't believed that Gajeel could really die just like that. He was a dragon slayer and dragon slayers didn't just die! I hadn't considered that there is more than just one way to lose someone. Having Gajeel forget all about me was almost as though he were dead. In fact, it was almost worse than that- it meant that I had died… to him, I didn't exist anymore. I was nothing to him and that was the most painful thing I've ever had to go through. I had lost Gajeel for those two days and I never, never wanted to hurt like that again. These past two days had shown me that no, I didn't have a crush on Gajeel…

I was in love with him.

"Wake up you idiot." I ran my hand over his hair carefully, ignoring the fact that everyone was watching me, "I still have to give you a piece of my mind for being so reckless."

We waited another ten minutes before I told Freed to lift the spell. Just like when I had cast the spell, my heart was beating like crazy. "Hey Levy?" Natsu crouched down next to Gajeel and me, a smile on his lips, "He smells normal again."

"That's great!" I returned the smile he was giving me.

"But just for in case…" A wicked grin spread across his face and his fist was engulfed in flames.

"What are you doing Natsu?" I asked him and just as he was about to put his hand down on Gajeel, Lucy grabbed a hold of the back of his coat, dragging him back to his chair while he complained loudly. A quiet chuckled buzzed through the guild. It seemed that everyone was a lot more at ease all of a sudden. Did they all believe that I had fixed things? Did they believe in me that much? When I looked back down at Gajeel, I saw that he was frowning. Moments later, his eyes opened and I held my breath. Would he remember us? Was he going to hurt me? I guess I should have probably thought of that before waking him up lying half on my lap…

For a moment he looked totally disorientated, his pupils forming two narrow black slits on the red canvas of his irises. "Gajeel?" I whispered, swallowing the lump in my throat. "Shrimp?" I lost complete control of my facial expression as soon as that word hit my ears. My eyes teared up and Gajeel turned into a dark blob for a moment, "Oi… what the hell's wrong? Did one of your cheerleaders die or something? And what am I doin' lying on your lap like a freaking baby?"

"What did you just call me…?" I croaked out hoarsely, earning an even bigger frown from him.

"Shrimp? Gee if you don't like it, say so- don't have to get all depressed 'cause of it."

"Y-you're back." I stuttered, "Gajeel… you remember us?"

"Course I do!" He sat up slowly, looking around at all the people that had gathered. Everyone looked extremely relieved. Lily was smiling, so were Natsu, Erza, Gray and the others. Juvia had tears in her eyes. "Why does everyone looked like I just came back from the dead?"

"Well 'cause that's pretty much what just happened." Natsu piped up and Gajeel glared at him, "I can't believe you let your guard down like that man. That mage totally kicked your ass!"

"Why don't you come over here and say that again Salamander?"

 _He's back…_ I watched Gajeel get up and stomp over to Natsu, _And I love him so, so much!_

"Consider me impressed." Freed held out his hand to help me up and I accepted it, letting him pull me up, "It's not that easy to rewrite a dark spell."

"Thanks Freed. That means a lot coming from you."

"It's a pleasure Levy." And off he strode, back to Laxus who was busy comforting Mira who looked like she was about to burst out crying with relief. "Thank you Levy." Lily swooped over to me and I held out my arms, catching him and holding him close to me like a teddy. "You brought my partner back."

I had. I had brought Gajeel back. I had fought the battle for him and I had won.

I had won…

I had made myself big for the very first time and yet I wouldn't have been able to do it on my own. It was thanks to Gajeel after all… I had become big because I had been set on helping him.

* * *

After we were sure that Gajeel was feeling better and had eaten again, Mira and Lucy pretty much forced me to go back to Fairy Hills and take the day off. In all honesty that had been exactly what I had wanted to do despite feeling a little reluctant to leave Gajeel there all on his own. I told myself that he had Lily with him and that Wendy was going to keep an eye on him and yet I felt strangely responsible for his condition.

I let myself fall onto my bed with a heavy sigh. I could feel every muscle in my body begin to relax and my back ached for a moment, making me want to tense again. I waited, staring up at the ceiling until my entire body felt like a bowel of jelly. I really had been extremely tense. My eyes wanted to fall closed but I didn't let them. It was strange- I was almost afraid to fall asleep. I was afraid that everything was going to be different tomorrow. It felt to me as though Gajeel being back to normal was nothing but a wonderful dream. What if I was still lying in the guildhall, dreaming about what I wish would happen? What if I would wake up at any moment, finding myself surrounded by the darkness of the night, alone with a Gajeel who had no idea who I was? I shook my head, running my hand through my blue hair. I was being so silly. Where had my self-secure, jolly self gone? It felt like I had lost myself the moment Gajeel had lost his memory. Was I this dependant on his well-being? It felt like I couldn't function properly if he wasn't healthy and happy. What was going on with me?

"Everything will be better tomorrow." I told myself, getting out one of my favorite novels to read, snuggling up in my bed and opening it on the first page. Usually I would have tried to learn some more about ancient languages but the thought of reading another word of any ancient language was enough to give me a headache. I didn't want to have anything to do with ancient languages and dark magic for the next while… I just wanted to read a good old novel before going to sleep and that was then exactly what I did.

* * *

I woke up strangely early the next morning. The sun had just managed to fight off the night and was climbing higher into the sky by the minute. The birds were singing away happily in the tree outside my window. I got ready as quickly as I could, packing a book or two for me to read, sliding them into my shoulder bag before making my way down the hill and into town. I had wanted to stop by the library to see if they had any books on dragon slayers but something told me that I'd have to go to the magic archives for something like that so I ended up deciding against it. That wasn't the only reason I wanted to head straight for the guild- I was pressed to see Gajeel again. I wanted to make sure that everything really was okay with Gajeel and that he really did remember all of us.

It felt like ages before I started climbing the hill to Fairy Tail but eventually I was passing the good old chicken pen and pushed my way through the door.

"Thank goodness you're here!" I was taken by the arm and dragged to the bar without a moment to waste. By the time my eyes had adjusted to the light inside and I had regained my bearings, I realized that it had been Lucy who had brought me to the bar. Her hand was still resting on my upper arm, her fingernails digging into my skin ever the slightest. One look at her told me that she was extremely anxious. Before I had even taken a moment to assess the situation, millions of the worst scenarios I could think up were running through my mind, making my stomach twist and my heart race. Every single one of them had something to do with Gajeel and his memory of us. "What's going on?" I finally asked, finding us standing in front of Master Makarov and… well Gajeel. Lily was standing on top of the bar, his arms crossed across his chest. His mouth was bent into a thoughtful frown, his tail swishing from side to side at regular intervals. "Tell the Master that it would be really reckless to let Gajeel and Lily go back to Oak Town!" Lucy exclaimed. My eyes widened. Why would Makarov let Gajeel of all people go back to the place where he had lost his memory? "Lucy, how often do I need to explain my thought behind letting them go?" Makarov muttered patiently, shifting on the barstool he was sitting on.

"One more time please Master." I asked him and Gajeel groaned, looking rather annoyed.

"How much of my time are you guys gonna waste?" I complained.

"Gajeel I just got here okay? I just want to know what's going on." I replied as gently as I could. I was in no mood to get Gajeel even more upset. "Alright my dear." Makarov cleared his throat, "I want Gajeel and Lily to go back and finish their job. First of all, the people of Oak Town are relying on Fairy Tail to free them from the curse that has fallen upon them. I know that it is risky to let them go back, but Gajeel and Lily happen to be the only two wizards who know what kind of spells the dark mage uses."

"It's still too risky!" Lucy stressed. I was so glad Natsu hadn't arrived yet. He would undoubtedly add fuel to this fire in no time. In fact, he'd probably get into a full-on fist fight with Gajeel! "Lu-chan I get that you're worried but… the Master does have a point. And I can't think of a single time that he's purposefully put us in harm's way." All of a sudden it was like I could feel Gajeel's eyes on me. A cold shiver ran down my spine and I wrapped my arms around my stomach to shield me from whatever was causing this uneasy feeling to arise in me. "What if we took someone with us?" Lily spoke up, unfolding his arms and letting them hang at his sides again. "We can do this on our own Lily." Gajeel spoke up again.

"Yeah and that's why you ended up losing your memory the first time around!" Lucy snapped and I could see Gajeel tense from the corner of my eye. I was staring at Makarov, trying to do anything but look at Gajeel. I'd be lying if I said that something didn't seem really off about him. "You couldn't have done any better bunny-girl!" Gajeel retorted, "So why don't you keep your pretty little mouth shut?"

"Excuse me?!"

"That's enough!" The Master interrupted the two and I blinked, letting my eyes pan to Lily who had been watching me. He looked concerned, probably just as concerned as I looked. Had he also noticed that there was something strange about Gajeel?

"What if I went along with the two of them?" I blurted out, "It wouldn't be the first mission I did with them and if he gets put under the same spell again, I can reverse it using the spell I worked out yesterday. Also, if I hear the words the mage uses, I can figure out a counter spell to almost anything she throws at us."

"Levy does have a point." Lily spoke up to show his support and I shot him a thankful smile.

"Alright then." Master nodded, "Then Lily, Gajeel and Levy, you will form a team and head over to Oak City and finish the job that has been started."

"Listen, we don't need help from the bookworm." My eyes snapped to Gajeel who was wearing something similar to a scowl on his face. Bookworm? Since when did he refer to me like that? "Come on Gajeel don't be like that." Lily mumbled, "Levy was the one who managed to cure your memory loss yesterday. She'll be extremely helpful."

"So? She managed to write down a freaking spell, not like that makes her special or anythin'." I was so confused by the way he was talking that I even forgot to be hurt by his words. I had never heard Gajeel speak like that about me before.

It was like although he knew who I was, I meant nothing to him. He was treating me like a complete stranger who was butting in on his business. Why though? He had been acting normally towards me the day before… What had changed?

Had I messed up the spell after all?

Was it maybe wearing off or something?

"Gajeel I'm not going to give you much of a choice on the matter." Master Makarov spoke up after a long pause, "Levy was the one who saved you before so I am confident that she can do it a second time if the need be. Besides, she is a very capable wizard. You thought so too when you teamed up with her during the S-Class Mage Promotion Trials."

"Well I-."

"Just shut up!" Lucy yelled at him, surprising not just Makarov, Lily and myself but Gajeel too, "It's like you don't care about hurting other people's feelings with the crap you say! Are all of you dragon slayers this damn insensitive and oblivious? You just tread all over everyone's feelings 'cause you're just so damn tough right? Levy worked her ass off for you yesterday; not because she had to but because she wanted to! Because she cares! You don't deserve someone like her caring for you Gajeel, really you don't! Not after all the crap you put her through! Is this your way of saying thanks? What the hell… is wrong with you?!" Again she grabbed a hold of my arm, swinging me around and leading me to the exit, "I'll help her pack her things. We'll be back here in an hour. If you're late Gajeel… I'm gonna get Natsu to kick your sorry ass!" Before he could even reply to that, the door closed behind us and I finally felt like I could breathe again. I tried to see but my vision was blurry. She stopped me beside the chicken pen, turning to face me. "Are you okay?" Only then did I notice it. Now I knew why Lucy had been so angry at Gajeel.

How had I not noticed it sooner?

How had I not noticed that I had been crying?

* * *

 _I promised him that I wouldn't let him forget me again..._

* * *

There you go~ chapter 10! I really, really hope that you enjoyed it! Please leave me some reviews and let me know what you think!

So Levy will be going on another mission with Gajeel and Pantherlily. Will this mission be very different compared to the one in Hargeon? And what is wrong with Gajeel? Did Lily notice? And most of all: will Levy finally get her chance to help Gajeel and have him acknowledge her?

Find out in the next chapter~


	11. The Phantom Lord Wizard

Hey guys! Wow I can't believe the week's over again! Time flies~

First of all, I'd like to thank all of you for sticking with this fanfiction up until now! It really means a whole lot to me! So thank you again!

* * *

 **Chapter 11: The Phantom Lord Wizard**

"I'll be fine Lu-chan! I can handle Gajeel!" That's what I had told Lucy only moments before we walked through the guildhall doors. Now I was walking on a sandy path, surrounded by tall, well-aged trees that formed an arch above my head. The sunlight was peeking through a few openings in the canopies up above, casting light patches on the path we were walking on. Neither Gajeel nor Lily had said a single word to me or each other since we had set out. Gajeel walked at the front with Lily following a few strides behind. I kept my distance, mainly to avoid any harsh comments from Gajeel. Although I had told Lucy that I could handle Gajeel, I didn't think my heart could handle any abuse from him at this point. I was still far too shaken up by the past events. I needed comfort and reassurance which were both things I wasn't about to expect from someone who's element is iron. On top of that, by then I was convinced that I meant absolutely nothing to Gajeel. The contrast between the beginning of our mission to Hargeon and this one was immense. It almost felt to me like Hargeon had been nothing but a dream. It was like reality was twisted and I was the only one not fooled by it. Everyone else seemed to go along with it and I was left suspended in space, forced to watch everything fall apart around me. I was forced to watch the friendship between Gajeel and me dwindle away. It was slipping through my fingers like sand and no matter how hard I tried to grasp it, it was dissipating with every passing second.

"Lily?" I addressed only the Exceed pointedly. He slowed down until he was walking in stride with me.

"Is there something I can help you with?" He asked me. The same note of concern was shimmering in his eyes again and I was tempted to ask him about it. The only reason I chose against it was because I knew that Gajeel had somewhat good hearing and that meant he would overhear our little conversation. I'd find a more suitable moment to talk to Lily about it- in private. "How long is it going to take to get to Oak Town?" I still didn't know why Gajeel had insisted on walking there. Last time they had taken the train and that had taken them less than two hours. Walking would take us half a lifetime longer. "We should arrive tomorrow morning." He informed me quietly, "We'll set up camp sometime in the late evening once we're out of these woods. There are quite a few monsters living in these woods and I don't really want to have to fight any of them."

"Good idea." I chimed, "Thanks for letting me come along by the way."

"Of course Levy." He smiled at me, "I couldn't think of anyone more suited to help us than you." A grunt from up front let me know that Gajeel disagreed, "Ignore him." Lily added and I nodded- that was exactly what I had planned to do.

* * *

It took us two more hours of walking until we finally made it out of the forest. At the edge of the forest, a small mountain barred the way and we were forced to climb it. To say the least, my sandals weren't the most suitable shoes for the job. I didn't complain though- I didn't dare. By the early evening we had conquered the mountain and were making our way through another, smaller forest. "Here's a good place." We followed Lily into a clearing spotted with numerous sandy spots perfect for a fireplace. The forest was inhabited mainly by smaller animals so I knew that there was nothing to worry about concerning the wildlife. "I can gather some firewood if you'd like?" I offered and Lily's ears perked at that.

"Good. You're finally making yourself useful for once." Gajeel spoke up before Lily did and I frowned. At first I had considered giving him a snarky response but decided against it. There was no point in getting into a fight with him. I was too exhausted for that anyway; emotionally and physically. "Would you like to join me Lily?"

"I'd love to." I put my bag down next to a small rock on the edge of the clearing and made my way into the forest again, closely followed by Lily.

Once we were a good distance away from the spot where Gajeel was setting up the rest of the camp, Lily stopped to transform into his full form in order to carry more wood. We started gathering wood in silence while the stars above began shining brighter and the forest around us darkened even more. "You've noticed it too, haven't you?" Lily's deep voice yanked me back to reality and I realized that I had been daydreaming a little.

"Yeah… I just don't know what's wrong with him."

"He's been acting like this ever since he woke up this morning. It's not just with you- he treats everyone differently." We stopped gathering wood for the moment, finding a fallen log to sit down on. I placed my pile of branches on the floor next to me, dusting my hands off before resting them on my lap. "It's like he knows us by name but that's just about where it ends."

"I suspect that he lacks any emotional bond with any of us."

"And it has something to do with the spell right?" He nodded in reply, "And the only way to make that right is to talk to the mage who cast the spell…" The realization hit me as hard as a bucket of ice water to the stomach. How were we going to convince a former Phantom Lord wizard to turn Gajeel back to normal? It wasn't like she owed us anything and on top of that she was the one to have called forth this predicament in the first place. "We'll find a way." Lily put his large paw on my back gently, "We always have."

"You're right. There's no point in worrying about it now… once we get there, we'll know what to do. It's like you said the other day: this is a fight we have to fight for him." He looked up at the sky for a moment, putting his paw back down on the log we were sitting on.

"You care a lot about him don't you?" I took a deep breath, following his gaze to the stars above. I considered his question for a moment, thinking about how much had changed between Gajeel and me after he had joined our guild. "I do." I felt a smile play at the corners of my mouth, "He really does mean a lot to me."

"That's good." His voice was so gentle that it made me relax. The silence of the forest enveloped us for a moment, each of our thoughts revolving around the same dragon slayer. "Gajeel needs someone like that." With that Lily got up, picking up his pile of wood again and waiting for me to do the same. I didn't quite know what Lily meant by that but I chose to hang onto what he had just told me.

Gajeel needed me… in some strange sort of way unknown to me he needed someone as small as me...

"Please forgive Gajeel for the things he says to you at the moment." He added after a long pause, looking extremely apologetic to me. It was so like Lily to apologize on Gajeel's behalf. "I already have Lily, don't you worry."

* * *

Once I had written the word out in the air, the letters morphed into a solid font of iron, landing at my feet with a quiet thump. I checked to see whether Gajeel and Lily were still asleep and was happy to find that both were still snoring away contently. Gajeel looked so peaceful when he was asleep. His hair was a mess, his arms and legs sprawled out so much that not even his sleeping bag could contain him. Lily on the other hand was neatly tucked away in his cat-size sleeping bag, giving off a miniature version of Gajeel's snore. Shaking my head, I turned my attention back to what I had planned to do. There had to be some way to break the iron down into smaller pieces! I wanted to make sure I had a supply of iron during the fight to ensure that Gajeel had some power-ups in case he needed any. On top of that, I knew that Gajeel was always in a better mood when he knew he had some iron to snack on. Groaning, I shoved the iron word into the pile that was slowly forming to my right. I thought of a different way to phrase it, trying to find a word that would make the iron break into pieces. I could ask Gajeel to break it up for me but I was reluctant to communicate with him at the moment.  
I was about to try again when a loud yawn drew my attention. Two muscular arms were stretched into the sky and I watched his muscles flex as he stretched. "Mornin'," The word seemed to leave his mouth so naturally despite the fact that he hadn't said a single word to me the day before during our travels. "Good morning." I replied as cheerily as I could. His eyes came to rest on me for a moment before they spotted the shiny pile of iron next to me. "What're ya doin'? Wasting your magic power before the actual fight starts?"

"I'm not wasting my power I'm just-." I broke off, averting my eyes and looking in the opposite direction to him stubbornly, "I'm preparing."

"Preparing? What are ya preparing? You wanna eat some iron?"

"Well no…" I looked back at him, finding him sitting on his sleeping bag with his legs crossed, "I want to make sure you have enough iron during the fight." He didn't say anything to that, instead he let his eyes pan between the iron and me for a while, "I just need to find a way to break it up into smaller pieces to make it easier to transport." I added hopefully, earning a grunt and a smirk from Gajeel.

"So you can make iron but can't actually work with it? That's pretty stupid."

 _Just ignore it._ I told myself, forcing a smile onto my face. "It'd be great if you could do it for me." He arched a non-existent eyebrow, giving me a rather arrogant look. "What if I don't wanna help a midget like you?"

"You can just leave the iron here for all I care. Just don't expect me to make more for you when you start losing like you did last time." Had I really just said that out loud? To Gajeel of all people?! I felt my face run up hot and I averted my eyes immediately, wishing I could take back every single word I had just uttered. "What did you just say?"

"It's nothing!" I blurted out, scrunching my hands into tight fists on my lap, "I didn't mean it- promise."

"Watch out or I might hang you up on a tree again." My heart set out for a second and my stomach lurched. Horrible images flashed back into my mind. I was forced to watch it all happen over again in my mind's eye. I saw the way he tortured Jett and Droy right in front of me, ignoring my pleas to leave them be. I remembered hearing them scream and hearing him laugh. I remembered the crazy look in his eyes, the malicious grin contorting his face. I recalled the feeling of his hand grasping my face so strongly that it hurt. I remembered the way his face was only millimeters away from mine while he taunted me… _hurt_ me.

I remembered all of it.

My trembling hands lifted to frame my face and my body bent over in much the same way it had when he had punched me. I bowed my head and my hair fell forward, the bandana sliding out of my hair and landing on my lap. The purple flower pin caught my eye and I stared at it, thinking about how Gajeel had kept it for me. That was the Gajeel I had fallen for… but now, now I was confronted with horrifically vivid memories of a Gajeel that I wanted to forget! I didn't want to look at his hands and remember how much pain he had caused me with them. I didn't want to look at his eyes and picture that look. Why did he have to go and say something like that again?! Of all the damn things to say! Why couldn't he just snap out of it and be normal again?!

"Levy?" I blinked, stray tears escaping my eyes and running down my hot cheeks. I snapped back to reality and the painful images in my mind subsided, allowing me to think straight again. When I looked up, Lily was standing in front of me, concern and worry etched into every furry millimeter of his face. "What did you say to her Gajeel?" He looked back at his partner whose eyes were still trained on me. He was scrutinizing me, a strange sort of frown on his face. He didn't look satisfied or gleeful- it was quite the opposite actually. "It wasn't him." I spoke up quietly, "I was just remembering a nightmare I had." Lily's eyes narrowed and he studied my face before taking a step back. I knew that he knew that I was lying but Lily was the type of guy who respected someone's decision not to want to talk about something. "Will you be alright?"

"It's nothing I haven't learned to live with." Gajeel's eyes were yet to leave mine and I returned the eye-contact willingly. I let him search my eyes for whatever he was looking for and in turn I searched his, trying to find a little of the Gajeel that I loved hidden behind that sea of crimson. I searched and searched but all I found was a whole lot of confusion. There were tons of questions written in his eyes and I had the feeling that he was looking for the answers to some of them right in that very moment. It made me feel a little sorry for him. All I had done was think about what all of this was doing to me. I hadn't once considered what Gajeel must be feeling.  
"Shall we go?" I nodded in reply to Lily's question, averting my eyes and getting up.

"It would mean a lot to me if you'd take some of that." I gestured to the iron on the floor, "It would give me one less thing to worry about." He nodded numbly, averting his eyes and getting up as well.

* * *

Oak Town was a beautiful little town that clung to the side of a mountain, surrounded by lush green trees. A river ran along the base of the mountain, supplying all the greenery in the area with the water it needed. Mountains loomed behind the city, placing it in a rather idyllic setting. "This place is amazing!" I breathed, following Lily and Gajeel along the edge of the river. Small fish bounded out of the flowing water, sparkling in the streaming sunlight before disappearing into the water again with a splash.

Once we entered the town, I found that it was a lot smaller than Magnolia. Much like Hargeon though, everyone spoke to everyone and greeted each other on the streets. Small shops lined the roads, selling all sorts of home-made things.

"We have to pass through Oak Town to get to the forest behind the city where we found the mage the last time we were here." Lily informed me, "She stays close to where the Phantom Lord branch used to be." My eyes widened.

"There used to be a Phantom Lord branch here?"

"Yes. Mystogan brought it down during Phantom Lord's attack on Fairy Tail." Lily replied. I checked to see Gajeel's reaction but he was yet to respond to what we were discussing in any way. He just continued to walk beside me with that vacant expression of his, his eyes alert and on the lookout for the enemy. Why hadn't he told me about that before he had left on the mission the first time around? He must have known that Oak Town used to be home to Phantom Lord. Or had he gone on that mission _because_ there used to be a Phantom Lord branch here? Had he felt responsible for the dark mage causing problems for these people? Or was he trying to revisit something from his past? I tried to force myself not to think about it. I had too many questions in my mind that were starting to chip away at the image of Gajeel I had so carefully assembled in my mind. I couldn't afford for that image of him to shatter- it was the only thing I was holding on to.

Lily and I kept up casual conversation until we reached the outskirts around the back of the town. I was extremely grateful to him for keeping me distracted, knowing that I probably would have chewed my fingernails off by then if I had been left to think about the mage we were about to face. We walked along a rocky path lined by small boulders, heading towards the forest surrounding the city. We had almost made it to the first row of trees when Gajeel froze. His muscles tensed and his legs spread to give him a more grounded stance. His eyes were searching the forest ahead of us while he kept taking in deep breaths of air. "I can smell her."

"How far?" Lily asked him and he shrugged, "Lead us to her then." He added and Gajeel nodded. His muscles seemed to relax gradually, the movement releasing the tension that had built up in them. I followed closely behind him, watching his every move, waiting for any sort of shift in his body language. Lily had morphed into his full form by then and was walking beside Gajeel with heavy footsteps, hand on sword. The forest swallowed us up and I noticed how much cooler the air felt inside the forest. The air smelt fresh and light, the scent of all sorts of different flowers hanging in the air. It would have been something I'd have enjoyed… if it weren't for the circumstances.

"I can't believe you actually came back." The three of us froze and Gajeel and Lily tensed notably. I looked around at the trees surrounding us frantically, trying to figure out where the voice was coming from. My heart was racing and my body became jittery. I lifted my hands, ready to write out any spell that I needed. "Why don't you stop wasting my time and come out already?" Gajeel barked and Lily nodded in agreement. He brought his red blade forward slowly, holding it in front of his body in a shielding manner. "Oh alright… but only because you asked so nicely Gajeel." Hearing the way she said his name made me want to be sick. I didn't have much time to think about it though because suddenly she was standing in front of us. She had appeared out of thin air!

She was tall and slender, wearing a deep purple dress with a spider depicted on the side. Her long, dark blue hair was tied back into a ponytail. Her eyes were potent and to make things worse, they were looking right at me. "So… it's you." I swallowed, taking a step back in a feeble attempt to escape her smoldering gaze, "I remember you. I remember seeing you in his memories." She pointed at Gajeel with a bony finger. Her mouth twisted into an unnatural-looking smile, her red lips twisting into an awkward squiggle. "And you know what…?" I shook my head hesitantly, "I hate you!" She lifted her hand, spitting out a darks spell and firing a ball of dark magic at me. "Solid Script: Barrier!" A large invisible barrier shot up in front of me and the dark ball collided with it. The air around me felt like it was getting heavier, bearing down on me, wanting to force me to give up.

 _I can't let her win! I can't give up! I have to fight for Gajeel!_

I shook my head, focusing all the power I had into my spell in order to ward off the ball that eventually disintegrated with a sizzle. "They had to bring you didn't they?!" She continued angrily, "To make things worse, it looks like someone went and weakened my spell. If it weren't for that, he wouldn't even be here right now! Let me guess… it was you right?" She cocked her head to the side, "Though then again, I should be thankful for this opportunity to wipe your pathetic excuse for an existence off the face of Earthland!" A moment later she vanished, reappearing directly in front of me. I stumbled back with a loud cry, frightened and totally helpless. She sneered at me, an even more maniacal look entering into her eyes. "Of course… only someone as soft as you could make Gajeel soft too." She reached out her hand to wrap it around my throat but before she could, I was shoved back and something forced its way between her and me. The familiar scent of iron and leather filled my nose and I felt a wave of relief wash over me.

"Gajeel!"

"Just shut up and don't ask me what I'm doing 'cause I got no clue." My eyes widened and I lifted my hands to cover my mouth like I had when Droy and Jet had attacked Gajeel.

Could it be…?

I could only see a little of his face because he was facing away from me- shielding me- but I could see that he was incredibly frustrated. "But why…?" The mage backed away a little, genuine fear taking over her features now, "Why are you protecting her? You don't even care about her!"

"Like I know! I guess my body just moved. Guess I don't mind though" He smirked before lifting his hand, turning it into an iron club, "So if you don't want me to cut you into pieces, you'll keep your hands off of the midget. Got it?" The mage was so taken aback that she didn't respond in time when Gajeel brought his club down on her. With a shrill cry she was sent flying into the nearest tree. Groaning, she collapsed on the floor, holding onto her aching shoulder. "How could you…? You shouldn't care…" She whispered, "I took away one of the memories that meant the most to you."

The memories that meant the most to him?

"And even if you did remember… your emotions… I kept them from you. You shouldn't care about her. You shouldn't even have wanted to come back here!"

"You know…" He flexed his shoulders before walking towards her, notably enjoying the fact that she was desperately trying to get up and escape, "You made a pretty big mistake when you decided to mess with my head. I guess I needa make you pay for that."

"Please no!" She begged, "I spent most of my magic power on that stupid spell! I thought you were going to go and destroy Fairy Tail! I didn't count on you coming back here!"

"Well 'aint that your bad luck?"

"Please! I'll do anything!"

"You know me…" Gajeel smirked at her, "I aint the merciful type." He lifted his arm into the air, letting it turn into his iron sword. His grin widened a little and the mage cried out in fear, shielding her face with her arms.

"Gajeel wait!" The sword stopped only inches away from her head and Gajeel grunted, turning to look at me. It was safe to say that he was pretty annoyed with me for interrupting his 'fun'. "What the hell do you want?"

"You said you'd do anything right?" I addressed the mage who nodded vehemently, "Then give back everything you took from him and he'll spare you."

"You're kidding right?" Gajeel exclaimed, "You don't get to make those kind of decisions for me."

"In this case I do! I know you don't really know me… but just trust me Gajeel! I know what I'm doing." I let my eyes lock in with his and I stared back just as stubbornly as he was until Gajeel gave in with a dissatisfied grunt, taking a step back to give the mage more space. His arm turned back to normal and he crossed his arms across his chest. "What she said... and… you leave this town and never show your ugly face around here again. If you do, I might change my mind about turning you into scrap metal."  
"Okay, okay fine!" She waved her hands in front of her, "I'll do what you say, just please… don't hurt me!"

"Wow what a pathetic loser!" Gajeel frowned, glaring down at her condescendingly.

"That's not the first time you've said something like that to me." She admitted, looking down at her own two hands.

"That's right… Lily she was a Phantom Lord mage right?" I asked.

"She was. She had only just joined Phantom Lord when they attacked Fairy Tail." Could it be that she joined Phantom Lord because of Gajeel? It would explain why she had been so upset to find out that he had joined the enemy's guild. It was understandable really… To be honest I almost felt for her. I would have felt the same way if I had been in her shoes. She had felt abandoned and betrayed and letting it out on other people had been her only way to somehow deal with that. She probably hadn't expected Gajeel of all people to stop by and tell her to stop. She must have used one of her strongest spells on him completely out of impulse, forgetting the toll it took on her. She was exhausted and fighting with much less than twenty percent of her usual strength. "Don't take what he says to heart too much." I heard myself say, "He tends to insult everyone. You're not pathetic. In fact, that spell you used is an extremely powerful one! It couldn't even be completely undone by a reverse spell- that's pretty impressive!" I walked over to her, passing Gajeel and crouching down in front of her, "You could do some pretty amazing things with your talent." For a moment all she did was stare at me, at the way I was smiling at her after all she had done. Then… her eyes filled with tears and she bowed her head as if ashamed. "Why are you being so kind to me?"

"Well because I get where you're coming from. You were hurt and people do really stupid things when they're hurt. There's no reason for you to throw yourself into darkness because of it though."

"I get it now." A gentle smile spread across her face and she wiped her tears away, "I get why you were in pretty much all of his most precious memories." I felt my mouth drop open and she laughed at that, "Well you kept him from hurting me any further so I guess I should keep my end of the deal." She closed her eyes and began reciting words that translated into a spell similar to the spell I had used to bring his memories back. Once she was done, Gajeel's eyes fell closed and Lily only just managed to catch him in time before he hit the ground. "He should wake up in a few hours." She informed me and I nodded, keeping my eyes on Gajeel for a minute longer. "Thank you so much. I was so worried about him you know?"

"I know why Gajeel decided to join Fairy Tail…" She smiled at me, "It's because of people like you."

* * *

And there you have it! I had to stop writing there otherwise the chapter would have been way too long! I hope you enjoyed it! Leave me some feedback if you'd like!

I really hope you enjoyed it! Until next time guys~

Next chapter:

 **Chapter 12: Feelings**


	12. Feelings

Oh my word guys it's been so long! I was busy working on my cosplays for a convention and then my brother had to borrow my laptop so I couldn't continue working on Metal Dragon. I'm so sorry for making you wait for so long! q.q  
Well I really hope you like this chapter! It's a little more light-hearted. I kinda needed a chapter like this atm. Got a lot of rubbish going on atm.  
Also, thank you all for your amazing support and your reviews!

* * *

 **Chapter 12: Feelings**

"Please… wake up soon." I put my hand down on his forehead as gently as I could to feel his temperature. It was finally going down a little- that was good. I suspected that the large amount of spells used on him had taken their toll. That might also be the reason why he still hadn't woken up. We had settled down in a small clearing close to where we had fought the mage. We had gone our separate ways shortly after the fight had ended. It had been three hours now and yet Gajeel hadn't even stirred in any way. It would be an understatement to say that I was worried. "You should take a break." A soft paw was placed on my bare upper arm, snapping me out of my gloomy thought world, "I'll watch him for a while."

"Are you sure?" He nodded. I shot one more, long glance at Gajeel, letting my fingers slide over the skin on his cheek briefly before getting up. I stretched my arms and legs, realizing only then how much they ached. My dress was filthy, my hair disheveled. I was yearning for a shower yet I knew that that would only happen once Gajeel was awake. "I guess I'll try and get some reading in." I thought out loud, grabbing my bag that was lying next to my sleeping bag close to where Gajeel was lying. I fished out one of the novels I had brought along and settled down underneath a large tree. It stood on the edge of the clearing, casting a large shadow all around it. Two birds were busy building an intricate nest above my head and I listened to their excited chirps, wondering what they were talking to each other about. I slid down slowly, finding a nice curve in the tree trunk into which my back fitted perfectly. It felt like a well-made hardwood chair of some sort; the type you would pay thousands of jewels for. With a heavy sigh I opened the book, pulling out the pay slip I had used as a bookmark and began to read.

It didn't take long before I was engulfed completely by the story I was reading. The words on the white pages were drawing vivid images in my mind that fitted together like puzzle pieces, painting a story right before my mind's eye. An excited buzz built up in my stomach and soon my mouth had twisted into a light smile and my cheeks had turned a slightly rosy shade. Although Gajeel was taking a long time to wake up, I knew that he was going to be okay in the end and that fact alone finally gave me the peace of mind that I had needed to continue reading. It felt great! I could no longer hear the chirping of the birds above me. I couldn't feel the light breeze against my bare shoulders. I was no longer Levy. I was no longer sitting in that clearing, waiting for the man I most probably loved to wake up. Instead I was a ghost, floating around a foreign world where children went to schools and magic was nothing but a tale brought forth by someone's wild imagination. I watched as the story revolved around the protagonist, unfolding right before my eyes. I was there when she cried, when she laughed or when she had to face a frightening new situation. I could empathize with her, feel her pain and her happiness. I could-.  
As the words disappeared, so did the images in my mind. I blinked, realizing that the book had vanished from my hands. "Didn't ya hear me Shrimp?" Just like that, I was back. All the sounds of the forest rushed to my ears and my vision cleared. I was up on my feet in seconds, my back against the tree trunk. "Gajeel." The word left my mouth against my will and I watched his smirk widen.

"You always get so spacey when reading don't ya?" He cocked his head to the side, "So since you were in your crazy little Shrimp-World… guess I should tell ya what I said huh?"

"Gajeel…"

"Uh yeah…? Why ya gettin' all weird?" I didn't blame him for being confused due to my reaction. I myself didn't quite know what to think or feel. I was so angry, so happy, relieved, sad and in love all at the same time. I wanted to hug him yet simultaneously I wanted punch him as hard as I could. I wanted to cry, laugh, scream… All my emotions were fighting for dominance and I was left no choice but to let them battle it out.

Gajeel waited, the way he always did when he saw that I was struggling with myself.

Gajeel was back… he was back to normal…

And just as quickly as the chaos in my mind had appeared, it vanished, leaving space for the anger and the sadness that welled up in me like a geyser breaking through the surface of the earth. "How could you?!" It burst out of me, "How could you have been so reckless Gajeel? You knew didn't you? You knew that that mage was from Phantom Lord! You knew from the very start, that's why you took the job right?" His smirk faded and I felt my stomach jump, realizing that I was spot on, "How ridiculously selfish of you! You could have at least let one of us come along to help you! You of all people should have known that Phantom Lord wizards can be dangerous! And then you…" Tears began filling my tired eyes no matter how hard I fought for them not to. I shook my head vehemently to clear my mind. There was no way I was gonna let it end here. I was nowhere near done telling him all about how much of an idiot he had been- how much pain he had put us through. "You went and did your own thing again and we had to suffer for it! You were gone Gajeel! You lost your memory and threatened all of us! You thought you were a Phantom Lord wizard again and you…. We were so worried Gajeel! You left us! We thought you were gone for good! How could you just up and disappear like that? Do you know how much that hurt? It's like you don't care about what-." My voice broke off when a hand was placed at the back of my head. Suddenly I was pulled in, pressed to his chest gently. A second hand found my back, enveloping me in a tight hug. The scent of iron flooded me like a warm wave, washing away all the anger and sadness I had felt. His coat was a little rougher than I had imagined it. I could hear his rushed heart beat and could feel him breathe in and out evenly. "Shut up Squid…" He muttered, his low voice vibrating in his chest. I bit down on my bottom lip, suppressing the rest of the tears. I took a hold of his coat with one hand, holding on to it as tightly as I could. It was like I was trying to convince myself that it was really over; that Gajeel was really back. That the Gajeel that I cared about so much was finally right here with his arms around me. We stayed like that for a short while until his heartbeat was back to normal and my tears had dried completely. "Don't leave like that again." I whispered and his hug tightened for a brief moment.

"You 'aint getting rid of me that easily." He pulled back, releasing me from the hug. When I looked up at him, I saw he was smirking again, "And even if I did get lost somewhere. I know you're always there to drag my ass back to Fairy Tail."

"I guess you're right." I felt a smile spread across my face.

"Though…" He wasn't about to ruin the moment was he? Please tell me he wasn't going to go and- "How is someone as tiny as you supposed to drag someone like me back to Fairy Tail?"

"You were being figurative weren't you?!" I felt my temper rise just as quickly as the blood rose to my cheeks.

"Whatever that means." He shrugged, ruffling my hair and walking back to Lily, leaving me standing there with my mouth hanging open.

"I hate him." I muttered, looking down at my hands where my book was resting. When had he given that back to me and how had I not noticed? Wait… "Gajeel! I can't believe you closed it! I didn't check which page I was on!"

"Where is that my problem short-stuff?"

" _You_ closed it!"

"Ever heard of a bookmark?"

"Don't start talking like you've ever picked up a single damn book never mind used a bookmark before!" He turned to give me a cheeky smirk and when he saw how red my face was, he laughed.

He laughed that wonderful laugh of his…

* * *

I let out a long sigh when the warm water soaked my hair and ran over my bare skin. It felt so good to be taking a shower. I could hear the washing machine next to the shower buzz while it cleaned my dress. I leant against the shower wall, cringing when the tiles were a lot colder than I had anticipated. My legs felt weak and my arms ached. Was it from carrying Gajeel to the clearing? I thought back to what we had been through; to all the different emotions I had experienced. "To think… I would ever be that worried about someone who once destroyed our guild hall." A gentle smile curved up the corners of my mouth. It was hard to believe that it had been Gajeel who had done so much damage not just to Fairy Tail but to me as well. Compared to that Gajeel back then, he was like a totally different person now. I felt my stomach twist and moments later a swarm up butterflies took flight in my stomach. My right hand found the flat of my stomach, as if that would somehow get the butterflies to stop their wild fluttering. I couldn't remember having ever felt this way when I thought about someone. I had read all about it in romance novels but I would never have thought that I would ever feel like this.

Especially not with him.

I could feel heat rise into my cheeks and I leant forward, letting the water run over my face in hopes that that would snap me out of it. The longer I thought about it, the less I was able to deny the strength of my feelings towards him. This wasn't just a light infatuation…

"Oi Shrimp! How much longer are ya gonna take?" My eyes flew open and I ran my hand over my head, removing my fringe from my face. How long had I been in here for? I had totally lost track of time while thinking about Gajeel! He had told me that he wanted to shower after me. He had probably gotten sick of waiting and had come to get me to finish up.

"Uh… why?" I called back. The heat in my cheeks intensified and I became jittery.

"If you don't hurry I'll come in there and drag ya out."

Gajeel… coming into the bathroom… me standing in the shower without anything on…

"I'll hurry!" I blurted out, snatching the soap and running it over my skin in a half-hearted attempt at cleaning myself. How could he even think of saying something like that? Oh that's right… he didn't think. That's how.

I leant down, peering into the washing machine with a large frown. "This is just perfect." I whined. I was all dried up and had the fluffy white towel that hotel had provided wrapped around my torso. There was just one problem though… my dress wasn't done. I could just imagine Gajeel pacing up and down in the living area, waiting for me to finish. An image of him breaking down the door and storming in to take my place in the bathroom popped into my mind and made my stomach lurch. There was only one thing to do really: sneak out of the bathroom and wait in… well there was no other room to wait in. We had taken the cheapest of the rooms, resulting in it being a one-room hotel flat with a sleeper couch. I straightened up with a heavy sigh. I didn't really have much of a choice, did I? Coming out on my own accord would probably be less humiliating and cheaper than him breaking down the door. I walked up to the sink, scrutinizing my reflection in the steamed up mirror. My blue bangs were a little bit curlier than usual, probably because I hadn't brushed my hair yet. My face was flushed from the warm shower water and my skin shimmered slightly. "Okay Gajeel I'm done!" I turned to the door, unlocking it and pushing down on the door handle. As soon as the door was open just a little, a hand appeared in the crack and opened the door completely. It took me only a moment to register who was standing in front of me and what he looked like. "Can't you put some decent clothes on?" The words slipped out of my mouth while my face reddened again. Gajeel was standing in front of me, wearing nothing but a pair of black boxers. I stared at his face stubbornly, mainly to avoid staring at anything else… His mouth was bent into a smirk and his eyes were looking me up and down, making me even more flustered than I already was. "Says the one wearing nothing but a towel." He countered and I took a step back instinctively. The look in his eyes was slightly different. I'd never seen that look there before so I didn't know what it meant. All I knew was that it made me feel incredibly uncomfortable, like electricity was coursing over my skin all over. "My dress is still in the washing machine… could you put it in the dryer when it's done?" My voice came out high-pitched and strained. I should have just barricaded the door with my magic and waited for my dress…

"Yeah I can do that."

"Thanks…" I averted my eyes desperately. He was _still_ looking at me like that! Wasn't he in a hurry to get into the shower? So why wasn't he moving? "Is Lily in the living area?" He nodded, "I'll go keep him company then until you're done…" I added and again he nodded, moving to the side to let me pass, "Thanks." And off I was, wobbling down the short corridor and into the living area where Lily was busy sharpening his blade. "Are you alright Levy?" He asked me as soon as I had sat down next to him on the dark brown leather couch. I shifted my legs, not liking the way my still slightly wet skin stuck to the leather. "Why do you ask?"

"You look like you're running up a temperature."

"Yeah…" I lifted my hand to place it against my cheek, noticing only then how _hot_ my face was, "I think I might be coming down with something…"

"You were fine earlier…" He lifted a paw to his chin thoughtfully. Was he on to me? Even if he was, I doubted he would say it. He was the kind who watched, saw everything and kept it all to himself. "Well we'll be back in Magnolia by the late afternoon." He seemed to leave it at that and I let out a slow breath of relief, sinking back into the couch a little. "That means we're taking the train aren't we?"

"With you getting sick it would probably be the wisest choice. Once we're back in Magnolia I'll ask Gajeel to bring you home."

"You really don't have to do that."

"It's the least we can do after how much you've helped us."

"He still doesn't know, does he?"  
"You mean about everything that happened?" I nodded, "From what I can gather, he only knows what you told him during your outburst." I wanted to feel embarrassed for the fact that I had lost my composure the way I had earlier but somehow I knew that Lily didn't judge me for it.

So Gajeel couldn't remember what happened after his memories had been altered? I wasn't sure whether that was a good thing or a bad thing. On the one hand I was extremely grateful that he couldn't remember the fact that I had broken down after we had figured out that he had lost his memories of us. At the same time, he couldn't remember any of the things I had done for him during his memory loss…

Something about that made me feel kind of sad.

"I'll talk to him about it tonight once we get back, I want to give him some more time to recover. He may not show it, but he's still very weak. He's been eating the iron you made for him non-stop since he's woken up."

"Oh I didn't notice." I admitted, running my hands over the towel slowly, enjoying the way it felt against my skin, "Do you want me to make more for him for the trip or do you think he'll have enough?" He shrugged, putting his blade down on the couch next to him.

"We'll see how far he gets with the iron he has right now." He finally added after a long pause. Just then the bathroom door opened and Gajeel came sauntering back into the living room, wearing a black tank top and his black boxers. First he took a moment to look at me, seeming to enjoy the way I squirmed uncomfortably under the weight of his protruding gaze. Then he looked at Pantherlily who tensed, getting up and backing up a little. A mischievous smirk crept onto Gajeel's face and his eyes lit up with a cruel idea. "Gajeel we've spoken about this." Lily muttered. The hair on his back stood up a little and the tip of his tail was twitching violently. "C'mon all of us took a shower except for you."

"He's a cat, he doesn't need to shower!" I butted in, reaching out and taking Lily onto my lap, wrapping my arm around him protectively.

"Are ya really gonna get involved in this Shrimp?" His smirk widened when I nodded. I knew I was going to regret it immediately and I did but I had to protect little Lily! His ears were pressed against his head the way they usually only were during a thunderstorm. How could I not want to protect him? "Well I can just put ya both in the shower then."

"No way!" I got up, running behind the couch that was now separating Gajeel and me. He looked intrigued, like a predator watching the prey he wanted to catch. Again I caught a glimpse of the strange look in his eyes and again my body reacted by becoming jittery. "You really gonna make this difficult short-stuff?"

"You're not going to put him in the shower!" I replied stubbornly.

"You think ya stand a chance against me?"

"Why do you have to turn everything into a fight?!" I raised my voice, tightening my hold on Pantherlily unknowingly.

"I 'aint turning this into a fight." He replied casually, shrugging his heavy shoulders, "But since you're holding him, ya gotta get what's coming for him too." With an astoundingly swift movement he had heaved himself over the couch with his arm and was in front of me in seconds. Before I could even respond, his arm had stretched across my back, barring my escape while his other hand had found my arm that was holding onto the Exceed. It felt like his fingers were singing my bare skin. I became painfully aware of how close he was standing to me. Thank goodness I was holding onto Lily! "Last chance to back out." He warned me when I failed to respond.

"She's sick you know Gajeel. You shouldn't treat her like this." Lily intervened and the arm disappeared from my back and he let go of me.

"Really?" He placed his hand against my forehead and I bit down on my tongue, trying to keep my composure from dwindling away. Why was all of this so flustering? I felt like my entire body was on fire! I couldn't move my arms or legs and my heart was beating so fast that it felt like it was about to burst out of my chest. "I'm fine. You can stop now." I heard myself say and the hand was removed from my forehead- much to my relief.

"Well then let's get going." He averted his eyes before he turned away from me completely, "Your dress is done short-stuff." He added before moving to pack his things away. I watched him for a short moment before putting Lily down who gave me a quick thank you after which he moved to assist his partner.

I felt confused.

My heart was still fluttering nervously and the tight knot in my stomach was yet to unravel again. My cheeks were still extremely hot and I felt light-headed.

I thought this kind of thing only happened to Juvia…

But that's not true because it was happening to me too…

So what on earth was I supposed to do now?!

* * *

It's a short little chapter but I really hope you liked it!  
I'll be starting the next chapter tomorrow after work~Can't wait to hear from you guys. Have an awesome week!


	13. Preparations

Hey guys! I'm not sure how to say apologise for how long it took me to finally post something new for you. I was suffering from a massive case of writer's block so I had absolutely no clue how to continue the story.  
Well I finally found a scenario that could work so I'll be updating a little more frequently now.

Thank you so much for sticking around and thank you all for your awesome reviews!

* * *

 **Chapter 13:  
Preparations**

"Thanks Shrimp."

I turned on my heel to face him. It was hard to wrap my mind around the fact that Gajeel of all people had just thanked me. We were standing at the entrance to Fairy Hills. Lily had, just as he had said he would, had told Gajeel to walk me home. The walk through Magnolia had been a quiet one. Neither of us had been able to think of anything to say and I could tell that Gajeel had a lot to think about. Who could blame him though? I was certain that he still felt slightly confused due to the events of the past two days. He was probably still busy trying to fil out all the blanks in his mind. "What are you thanking me for?"

"It's not the first time your iron's saved my ass." His mouth twisted into his signature grin and I laughed lightly, feeling my cheeks warm up a little, "Guess you're not useless all the time."

"What is that supposed to mean?" I shot back angrily. It was like he complimented me without meaning to and then felt the need to cover it up with an insult. It was so infuriating! The way this guy always found a way to get under my skin… "Well obviously little you needed someone to walk you home."

"Listen I didn't _ask_ you to come along! It was Lily's idea! I told him I could make it home just fine on my own but he insisted because he thinks I'm sick!"

"No need to get all worked up kiddo." He put his hand on top of my head but instead of ruffling my hair the way he usually would, I felt his fingers entwine with my blue locks, "Though you worked up isn't so bad." He added and a rush of warmth rose to my face and I felt forced to avert my eyes. What was he doing? And why on earth did I feel so flustered?! "Thanks for walking me home then." I muttered for the sake of saying something and breaking the awkward silence and I heard him chuckle. His fingers loosened around my hair and his hand slid over the side of my head before dropping to his side again. "Sure thing Shrimp. See ya around." He made his way along the sandy path leading back to Magnolia and just before he disappeared out of sight, he stopped, turning to look back at me with a grin. "Get better soon Shrimp. Havin' ya around 'aint so bad so I might keep it that way." And off he went, leaving me with a swarm of butterflies fluttering around my stomach.

* * *

Just focus on the book Levy! That's what I had been telling myself the entire morning! It had all been perfectly fine until Gajeel and Lily had come for breakfast. Lily wasn't the problem! He was sitting at the end of the bar with Carla eating breakfast peacefully. It was Gajeel who proved to be a problem. Him and Natsu were discussing something so loudly that the whole guild was forced to listen. Part of me wanted to tell them off and get them to take it outside but I didn't want to draw Gajeel's attention to me. The thought of having him look at me like that again was enough to make my heart flutter. On top of that, Gajeel hadn't come to say good morning to me the way he usually would. In fact, he hadn't even looked at me! Maybe it was my imagination but he was acting a little strange…  
My fingers tightened around the pages of the book and I bowed my head, trying to stop myself from over-analyzing things again.

"Come on bolts for brains of course that-."

"What did you just call me Salamander?!"

"Oh you wanna pick a fight with me?" Natsu countered and Gajeel was about to speak up when a loud voice spoke up and snapped them both out of it. "Are you serious Natsu?" My head shot up and I spotted Lucy at the entrance immediately. Her hands were placed on her hips, a disapproving frown on her face, "You come here first thing in the morning and you're already picking a fight with someone? Can't you just cool it for once?"

"Yeah listen to your girlfriend Salamander." Gajeel chipped in and both Natsu and Lucy stiffened.

"She's not my-."

"He is totally not my boyfriend!" Lucy interrupted Natsu mercilessly, stomping right over to Gajeel who was perched atop one of the barstools next to Natsu, "Why would I ever think of dating someone as obnoxious as Natsu?"

"You could've just left it at not your partner." Natsu mumbled and Gajeel snickered at that.

"Now ya went and hurt his feelings blondie." Gajeel continued to add fuel to the fire and I could almost see the steam rising from Lucy's ears.

"And what about you?!" She snapped back, "You're even worse actually! She actually loves you and you-." She broke off, taking a hesitant step back and bowing her head. At Lucy's comment MIrajane, who had been cleaning a couple of plates behind the counter, stopped what she was doing to listen more intently. I could feel all the blood drain from my face and I bit down on my bottom lip a little too hard. She hadn't just… had she? How could Lucy be so careless?! I wanted to run away and never come back. Maybe change my name and start working for the Magic Council… Or maybe I could find a way to get to Edolas, that way Gajeel would never find me. "What'cha mean?" I heard Gajeel speak up again and I sat up a little straighter, raising my eyes to watch Lucy nervously. "Please Lucy, don't make things any worse." I mouthed the words soundlessly.

"It's nothing." Lucy replied, averting her eyes as best she could despite Gajeel's protruding gaze.

"Did you just say someone loves Gajeel Luce?" Natsu chipped in, his eyes having grown big with surprise while he was trying to stifle a laugh. He obviously couldn't quite imagine someone loving someone like Gajeel. Gruff, insensitive Gajeel…

Lucy just stood there, staring at the ground, like an ostrich sticking its head into the sand and waiting for it to be over. To be honest that's something I would have loved to be able to do right in that moment. "I think we broke her." Natsu added when Lucy failed to answer and Gajeel frowned.

"Hey bunny-girl I want an answer!" She shook her head, "I 'aint gonna leave ya alone until ya tell me!"

"Yeah I wanna know too Luce! Hey Happy! Guess what I just-."

"Alright everyone, listen up!" Oh thank goodness for Laxus! Everyone's attention was on him in seconds and just for the while, the topic of Gajeel's secret admirer was forgotten. "So the old man's in a meeting at the Magic Council which is why he made me make the announcement." He continued once he saw that everyone was listening, "It's been a month now since some of us got back from Tenrou Island. Makarov wanted to give everyone the chance to get used to the changes before starting the official celebrations."

"What celebrations?" Natsu piped up and Laxus gave him a half-hearted glare.

"Just shut up and listen and you'll know." He returned to letting his gaze skim the crowd slowly, "He wanted to celebrate the fact that we all survived and that we're together again as a guild after such a long time. We're gonna start the preparations as of today. The fest or whatever you wanna call is will be on Friday and will include the entire population of Magnolia. Mirajane and Erza? Makarov wanted you to be in charge of the preparations."

"We'll get to it immediately then Laxus!" Mira replied cheerily and I saw Laxus shoot a gentle, almost non-visible smile at her. The guild broke out into excited chattering and Lucy seized the opportunity to flee and was next to me on a chair in no time. "Oh my word I am so, so sorry!" She whispered in my ear to stop Gajeel or Natsu from overhearing, "It totally just slipped!"

"It's okay." I offered her a crooked smile, "He probably has no clue who it could be anyway. Plus, it's probably just a matter of time before he forgets all about what you just said." Lucy nodded at that, "So how big do you think the festival's gonna be?"

"Well probably not that big." Lucy muttered, leaning her head in her hand and her elbow on the table, "I mean Fairy Tail has lost a lot of money since we got stuck on Tenrou Island. I doubt we can afford to throw a huge festival like we did back when Laxus attacked Fairy Tail."

"Oh gosh don't remind me of that." I rolled my eyes, "Though speaking of Laxus…" I looked over to where Laxus was being very endearingly spoken to by Freed, "He's gotten all…" I hesitated, searching for the right word. "Grown-up?" Lucy offered and I nodded, "Yeah you're right. He's finally acting like someone who could one day take over the guild from the Master." She said.

"Yeah. It's either him or Erza is what I think." I chimed and the two of us giggled, trying to imagine either of them doing Makarov's job. I caught sight of Mirajane slip out from behind the counter and make her way towards us. She was wearing her usual smile and her dress danced around her feet while she walked. "Hey there you two!" She greeted us and we returned the greeting before waiting for her to continue, "Levy I hope you don't mind but I'm going to have to borrow Lucy for a bit."

"No problem!"

"Thanks a millions Levy! Oh and by the way… how was your mission with Gajeel?" My eyebrows twitched, wanting to furrow but I managed to stop them. Why was she asking that so pointedly? "It went well!" I tried to answer as casually as I could while my stomach did uncomfortable nervous summersaults, "The fight against the mage was surprisingly easy because she was low on magic energy so I guess we got lucky."

"You must be so glad to have Gajeel back to his old self right?"

"Not as happy as Lily." I countered, forcing a smile onto my face. She looked at me for a while longer before nodding, seeming to be satisfied with my answer. "Well I'm really glad all of you are okay." She sang before gesturing for Lucy to follow her and the two disappeared into the chaos that had successfully spread out throughout the guild by now. Everyone was eager to help with preparations, some running to Erza for instructions while others chatted amongst themselves to gather ideas. So what was I going to do? I looked over at Gajeel who was talking to Juvia about something. Then my eyes found Jet and Droy who were speaking, just a little bit more enthusiastically than Gajeel was. My gaze panned between the two groups for a few more seconds before I got up, having made my choice.

"Hey guys! So what are your ideas for the festival?" Jet and Droy stopped their chatting immediately when I joined them and a wide grin spread across each of their faces. "Levy!" Jet was the first to speak up, draping his arm over my shoulders lazily. "Man we thought you'd never finish reading that book." Droy added and Jet hit him over the back of the head with his free hand.

"Didn't we say we weren't going to comment on that man?"  
"Sorry." Droy bowed his head, "It just slipped… honest…"

"Don't worry." I took a step forward and out of Jet's reach to give Droy a quick hug, "If it bothers you, just say so!"

"You're so understanding Levy!" Jet complimented me and I laughed sheepishly, running my hand through my blue hair.

"So um… what were your ideas for the festival?"

"Well Droy and I thought we might take care of some of the decorating." Jet began filling me in and we found a place at one of the open tables to start discussing, "I can run through Magnolia and put up posters and banners and stuff because I'm so fast."

"And I can use my magic to decorate the town with flowers and plants and stuff." Droy added.

"And I can use my solid script magic to add some stuff too!" I enthused, "This is great! Let me tell Mira about our idea! You guys wait here!"

"Alright." The two boys replied in unison. I got up, hurrying over to Mirajane who had just finished talking to Lucy and was now talking to Laxus.

"Hey! Sorry for interrupting." I spoke up a little quietly. I knew that Laxus was a good guy and I knew that he had changed but I still couldn't help but feel slightly intimidated by the guy. "What's up?" Laxus asked.

"Well the boys and I thought that we could help with decorating. Jet's really fast so he could technically also take over giving out brochures and stuff to people and putting up decorations all over town. Droy said he wanted to use his magic to decorate and I would like to do the same."

"That sounds great!" Mira exclaimed, "What do you think Laxus?"

"What do I think?" He shot a glance at me before looking at Mira again, "Well uh… it's a good idea I guess? C'mon Mira you're the one in charge of this. Don't ask me!"

"You know I value your opinion silly." She giggled and Laxus averted his eyes the way he always did when at a loss for words. I smiled at the exchange. Somehow I could picture them being good friends or maybe even a couple. "Alright-y then! It's decided! Levy you and your team will take over the decorations! I might still put some more people on the job depending on what the others want to do. The Exceeds might be a big help when it comes to hanging up things on lanterns."

"Oh I hadn't thought of that! I could ask Pantherlily."

"Great. Now that that's settled I'll start looking up some street vendors and merchants who'd like to put up some stands for people to buy things at." Laxus chipped in to our excited chatter, "Good luck planning Mira. If you need anything…" His voice trailed off and he sauntered off, joined by his team who followed him out the door into the warm summer afternoon.

The more I spoke to Mirajane about the ideas that came to me like moths to a flame, the more excited I felt for the festival. It had been a long time since we'd all had a positive experience like this. It would help the guild grow back together and would give all of us strength- strength that we desperately needed after everything we'd been through. Also, it would remind the people of Magnolia that Fairy Tail was still around. After seven years of silence, I was sure that the citizens would be more than happy to hear from us again.

With my part of the preparations sorted out, there was only one more thing I would have to think about:

who was I going to go with?

I considered going with Droy and Jet but they would probably just fight over who gets to buy me snacks or souvenirs and I really wasn't in the mood for any sort of arguements between the two of them. What about Lucy? No, she was probably going to go with her team and probably Juvia who would stalk Gray from a safe distance.  
I thought back to the Hargeon Festival Gajeel and I had gone to. I couldn't help but wonder if Gajeel would go to this festival with me the way he had back then. Would this time be very different to the way it had been in Hargeon? What if he didn't want to go at all? Would I be able to convince him somehow?

I had told myself that I had almost lost my chance to get to know Gajeel and to show him how much I cared. Maybe this festival would be the perfect opportunity to follow up on my resolve not to waste another opportunity to do both of those things. Sure the thought of actually going and doing something like that with Gajeel was slightly terrifying but I had done the Mage Promotion Trials with him and we were alone there too. Things would be perfectly fine! How many times had I gotten upset with some protagonist in a novel who had been too afraid to just show the guy how much she cared? Okay it turns out something like that is actually extremely difficult but I had to take the chance! How would I ever know how Gajeel really felt about me if I didn't take the chance? I had to! If I didn't, I was going to regret it for the rest of my life!

So it was decided.

I was going to go to the festival with Gajeel!

* * *

So there you have it! I know it's a super short chapter with little GajeelxLevy fluff but I wanted to give some of the other pairings some 'screen time'. The next chapter is full of fluff, I promise!  
Also, sorry for any typos. It's super late but I was determined to post this chapter before going to sleep so you (finally) have something to read!

Well I'll work on the next chapter tomorrow then.

Thank you so much for reading and I hope you liked it! Leave me some reviews and let me know what you think!


	14. Is it really a date?

Heeey guys! It took me super long to write this chapter 'cause I had no idea what to write! Well I'm done with it now and I really hope you'll enjoy it!

Thank you to everyone who keeps supporting me and thank you so much for your super awesome reviews!

* * *

 **Chapter 14**

 **So is it really a date?**

"Well that's the last of the flyers!" I grinned at my group consisting of Jett, Droy and Laxus. For some reason Mirajane had insisted that Laxus come along. Don't get me wrong, I didn't mind, it was just… weird considering that I'd never really spoken to Laxus much after he began changing for the worse. The week had flown by and it was already Thursday, meaning that tomorrow would be the big day! I hadn't been this excited about something for a very long time! Even the citizens of Magnolia seemed to be super excited that Fairy Tail was finally hosting another festival. It was nice to see that even after all this time, they hadn't completely forgotten about us. "It's about time." Laxus muttered, "Jet, Droy- Mira wanted you to fetch the banner from the print shop after we finish up here."

"We're on it!" Jett nodded, nudging Droy who was busy staring into a bakery window, "Come on big guy duty calls!"

"Hey can we stop for a snack?"

"On the way back alright?" I watched them walk off, probably smiling like some idiot from the feel of it.

"Did Mira leave us with anything to do?" I asked Laxus once Droy and Jett had turned a corner.

"Not really." He replied nonchalantly, crossing his arms and looking around a little, "Well then let's head back to the guild." I nodded, following the much taller Laxus through the streets of Magnolia and back to our hilltop guild.

The guild was bustling with busy helpers. Romeo was sitting with Wendy, Carla and Lily, drawing some more flyers to hang up later that day. Mira was busy talking to Erza and Lucy about decorations while Natsu pretended to listen and know what they were going on about.

He wasn't there. Just like every day of the past week…

I walked over to Lily, pulling up a chair and sitting down in front of him. He put the crayon down, giving me an alert and expectant look. "How did your job go?" He asked me, "Did you manage to get rid of all the flyers?"

"We did!" I tried to push all thoughts of Gajeel to the back of my head while I spoke to him, "Everyone was super excited to hear that we were organizing another festival."

"That's good to hear!" Lily mumbled before looking down at his artwork. He looked indecisive to me, "Levy there is something I've been meaning to tell you." My stomach did a little jump and I lifted a hand to place it against the flat of my stomach. His tone of voice was so serious. Okay Lily always sounded serious but this was different…

"Huh? What is it?"

"Gajeel won't be there tomorrow." I refused to acknowledge the fact that I felt like I had just swallowed a whole gallon of freezing cold water. I refused to acknowledge the fact that I was extremely disappointed but even more than that, I was worried. "Why?" I managed to force out, swallowing to somehow moisten my dried up throat. "I'm sure you've noticed that he hasn't been around all week?"

"Is it because he hates festivals?"

"Partly. Another reason is that I spoke to him about what happened when he forgot all of us. I told him about what he did and about how everyone reacted." My chest tightened and I felt my heartbeat quicken. I wanted to reply to him but when I opened my mouth, nothing came out so I nodded instead.

"Juvia is with him right now though. She's been with him the entire week actually." A pang of jealously welled up in me and I bit down on the inside of my cheek, "She told me that she had known about the Phantom Lord mage as well. She felt extremely guilty for having let Gajeel go on his own."

"Okay." I wish I could think of something else to say but my mind had run a blank. The only thing that my mind brought forth was an image of Juvia and Gajeel spending the entire day together with Gajeel pouring his heart out to her. I was sure that he did something like that. Not with me… but with Juvia instead.

So I wasn't going to go to the festival with Gajeel after all. I had spent the entire week thinking up an elaborate plan to finally show Gajeel how much he meant to me but all of that had just been thrown out the window. Yet again I felt helpless. Gajeel had called the shots again and all I could do was deal with it, right? What was I supposed to do? It wasn't as though I could just walk over there and tell him to come to the festival with me. Right?

"Hey Levy." I blinked, turning to face Laxus who had just drawn up next to me. He looked uncertain, throwing me off enough to compose myself again and listen to him without turning into a spluttering lovesick Juvia. "What's up Laxus?"

"Do you want to get something to eat? I wanted to ask you earlier already but I figured you wanted to head back."

"Well I'm not sure I-."  
"What a great idea!" Where had Mira come from? She snaked an arm over Laxus' shoulders despite their height difference and I caught sight of a hardly visible blush on his cheeks, "Lunch is on me alright? You two have helped me so much in the past week, think of it as my way of saying thanks." How was I supposed to decline when she put it like that? I shot Lily a glance and he shrugged, sitting back down on the table and turning his attention back to his little creation.

"I'd like that." I tore my eyes away from Lily who did nothing but remind me of Gajeel, "Let's go Laxus." I got up, brushed down my dress and followed Laxus to the door, shooting another look at Lily over my shoulder before I walked out.

* * *

At first Laxus and I had said absolutely nothing to one another. It was more than awkward to say the least. After a while though, Laxus had spoken up, starting a casual conversation that I slipped into easily. We spoke about everything and nothing, about things that seemed too trivial to mention. "Well I guess it was because he kicked my Dad out." Laxus was busy telling me about what had upset him so much all those years back. I don't quite know how we got from recipes to his life story but in a way I didn't mind. Talking to Laxus was surprisingly easy. I didn't worry about what I was going to say like I did with Gajeel. I didn't have to worry about him teasing me or using something I told him against me in the future. "I get it though." I admitted, "Well I'm just glad you've gotten over that."

"You guys made it hard not to." He chuckled, slowing down when we walked past a rather large café with vibrant yellow parasols standing at each table outside. A couple of people were sitting outside, some eating sandwiches while others had ordered ice-cream. "This looks like a nice place." I commented when he gave me a quizzical look and he smiled at me, leading the way into the large café.

We settled down at one of the tables outside, Laxus ordering a steak with some potatoes and vegetables. I was actually quite surprised that the place served something like that considering the fact that it was a café and not a restaurant. I settled on a plate of pancakes with chocolate sauce. We sipped our drinks quietly while we waited, both of us seemingly lost in our own thoughts.

"Listen Levy. Mira asked me to take you out." I felt my eyes widen but I chose to stay silent and wait for what else he had to tell me, "She figured you needed someone to talk to."

"So she sent you?" I couldn't help the surprise that coated my voice. He laughed at that, looking as though he could totally understand my reaction. "Yeah. Believe it or not but I'm a pretty good listener. Who do you think Mira goes to when she's feeling down?" Although I had never thought of it before, I could sort of picture it. She was the one to look after him every time he got injured so it kind of made sense that he would give her his shoulder to cry on; that's just the way their relationship worked. "So you wanna tell me what's up?" He added and I sighed, stirring my Coke with the straw, watching the way the ice cubes swirled around the dark liquid. "It's Gajeel." I admitted and he nodded.

"I knew that much. You're probably upset because he hasn't shown his ugly face all week right?" I cringed at the way Laxus spoke about him but nodded, sinking into my chair a little. Admitting to it made me even sadder. "So what are you doing moping around though?" He added and I looked up at him again, surprise written all over my face, "I'm guessing you probably wanted to spend the festival day with him right?" I nodded, "Well if he's too stupid to show up at the guild, go to him and ask him."

"Ask him?" The words spilled out of my mouth, "You mean go to his house and ask him? Isn't that like asking him out on a date?"

"Yeah and? It's supposed to be a date isn't it?" Another perfect example of guy-logic… was it really that easy? Should I really just go and talk to him? But Juvia was there wasn't she? Wouldn't I be intruding? "If you, for whatever weird reason, like the guy, you're going to have to make the first move. He's just as dense as Natsu is when it comes to stuff like that."

You know those moments where you just take a step back and take a moment to appraise the situation you're in? Well that's exactly what I did right then and there. I mean, I was sitting at a café with Laxus, getting advice from him of all people on how to talk to my crush. Where was that in any way normal? Since when did Laxus even do stuff like this? I took a moment to watch him when the waitress returned with our order. He thanked her nonchalantly before picking up his fork and poking at his steak critically. This was Laxus. This was the way Laxus really was. It wasn't the Laxus that had attacked all of Magnolia on his rampage. It wasn't the Laxus who had hurt Gajeel all those months back. This was the Laxus that had gotten kicked out of Fairy Tail and had done a hang of a lot of growing up since then. This was someone who looked after the guild the way Makarov did.

"So I should ask him?"

"Yes."

"I'll do it under one condition." I mumbled a little self-consciously, shoving a huge fork-full of pancake into my mouth to give me more time to think when Laxus asked me what the condition was. "You tell Mira how you feel." I never thought I'd ever see it but there he was, chocking on the piece of steak he had just attempted to swallow. I got up quickly, slapping him on the back until he managed to swallow the steak and had managed to compose himself enough to stop coughing. "What are you talking about?" He asked me hoarsely, staring down at his steak instead of at me. The tips of his ears had even gone red. Somehow all of this was making me like Laxus a lot more. "I know you like her." I smiled at him, "If you didn't, you wouldn't be here right now." He raised his eyes to look at me, attempting at a half-hearted glare that made me laugh more than scare me. He stayed like that for a while, looking very deep in thought until he sighed, closing his eyes for a moment.

"Fine."

* * *

Later that day, when the sun was already starting to go down, basking Magnolia in a warm red glow, Laxus dropped me off at Gajeel's house. It stood on the outskirts of Magnolia and reminded me a little of Natsu's house. The garden was neglected, weeds and wildflowers littering the lush green grass next to the small stone path that lead up to the front door. I wanted to turn and leave. Really I did. There was nothing that I wanted more in that moment… except a date with the guy I had fallen in love with. Laxus was right, if I kept waiting for Gajeel to make a move, I would end up waiting a lifetime. I wasn't good at taking the initiative though. I had never counted on having to do something like that but here I was, standing at a guy's doorstep, about to ask him out on a date. My knees felt like jelly and my hands were shaking slightly. My heart was beating in my throat and I began playing with my bangs nervously. I wobbled over to the front door, lifting my hand to knock. My hand hovered in the air for a moment before I closed my eyes and knocked on the door. It felt like my heart jumped right out of my chest when I heard Gajeel tell me that he was on his way. The door made a clicking noise and before I had managed to make a run for it, the door opened and I was standing in front of Gajeel. It was weird seeing him again after five days. My eyes studied his face, taking in every detail almost as though this was the last time I'd ever get to see him. The unmistakable scent of iron and leather wafted towards me and I took it in, the smell making me feel almost at home. "Uhm hi." I mumbled, looking down at my red sandals instead of at his astonished eyes. "What'cha doing here Shrimp?"

"Why didn't you come to the guild this entire week?" I asked him timidly. It felt like I was treading on ice that was moments away from cracking. I was _so_ nervous! Is this what Juvia always felt like? If so I could totally understand why she was a spluttering mess most of the time. "I was busy."

"Right." I hesitated. I was _not_ going to lose my nerve regardless of how much I wanted to turn tail and run, "And what about tomorrow?"  
"Busy." He said and just then Juvia popped her head on top of Gajeel's shoulder to look outside. Her mouth bent into a bright smile when she saw that it was me. "Oh Levy! Why don't you come in? Juvia just made some tea for Gajeel." My eyes locked in with Gajeel's and he opened his mouth to say something yet moments later his mouth closed again. "No… well I was just coming here to check that he was okay. I guess that was silly of me. He has you after all so I'm sure he's doing perfectly fine." I was leaving? Apparently so because I had turned on my heel and was already making my way down the stone path when a hand wrapped around my shoulder, stopping me in my tracks. I turned to face him, trying to pay no attention to my fluttering heart. "Shrimp."

"What is it Gajeel?" He averted his eyes, letting his hand slip off my shoulder and I immediately missed his touch, stirring uneasily.

"Lily spoke to me."

"I know."

"He told me everything I did."  
"And?" He shot me an astonished look and it compelled me to go on, "That wasn't you Gajeel. You're back now and that's all that matters. There's no reason for you to lock yourself away here. None of us are angry at you."

"I'm pissed at myself though."

"Don't be! The only person you hurt is Natsu and that-."  
"I don't give a crap 'bout that salamander!" he interrupted me gruffly, "What I care about is that you..." His voice trailed off and he averted his eyes, taking a step back as though he wanted to retreat back into his cave, "You cried 'cause of me Shrimp." My eyes widened and a stupid smile spread across my face. My hand lifted all on its own, coming to rest on his left upper arm. "Stupid Gajeel. Haven't I told you already that it wasn't you?" He smirked half-heartedly and I let my thumb caress the skin on his arm gently, earning me a slightly larger smirk.

 _I have to make the first step._ I told myself. I gathered every little bit of courage I had in me, swallowing the nervous lump in my throat before speaking up again. "I came here to ask you something actually." His face seemed to light up and I knew I had his full attention. I shot a glance at Juvia who was standing in the doorway, leaning her petit figure against the doorframe, watching us with a gentle smile on her face. "Well? Spit it out Shrimp!"

"Are you really busy tomorrow?"

"Depends on what'cha 'bout to ask me." His smirk was yet to falter and it flustered me, making it even more difficult to just ask him that stupidly unnerving question. Was this how guys always felt when asking a girl out? Really, that was just plain cruel! "Come with me tomorrow will you?" His eyes widened and the smirk fell off his face in record time. "What?" Not quite the reaction I had hoped for…

"I want you to come with me to the festival tomorrow! You know, like when we went to Hargeon Festival. Everyone worked really hard and it would be… really… nice…" My composure dwindled away within seconds and I was reduced to a red-faced, flustered girl with her hands covering her face in no-time. I stood like that for what felt like half of eternity, my hands blocking out the light from the sun, my knees threatening to buckle while I held my heart out for him, waiting for him to either smash it or take it into his hands. What if Gajeel didn't understand what I meant with that? What if he thought that I was kidding? Oh goodness I was terrified! I didn't want to know the answer! What if he-.

"Sure thing short-stuff." My hands were removed from my face and I was confronted with sparkling crimson eyes and a razor sharp smirk the likes of which I had never seen him wear before. He let go of my hands, lifting his left hand and ruffling through my hair. Usually this would upset me but I was so surprised by his reaction that I was rendered incapable of doing anything _but_ gawk at him.

I was going to go on a date.

I was going to go on a date with Gajeel Redfox.

* * *

So there you have it~ I really hope you enjoyed it! Leave me a review and let me know!


	15. Night Lights

Hey guys! So I worked on this chapter non-stop since I posted the last one so that you could read it as soon as possible! I really hope you enjoy it! Thank you so, so much to everyone who has posted reviews thus far!

* * *

 **Chapter 15: Night Lights**

I brushed through my blue hair one more time before tying my headband and clipping the flower pin to the yellow material. Turning to look at myself from the side, I checked that my dress was sitting just right before nodding, taking a deep breath and deciding that I looked presentable enough. Should I have worn something special? No that would make it seem really weird wouldn't it? What if Gajeel was wearing something special? Actually no, scratch that thought… Gajeel wouldn't unless someone forced him to. Oh my gosh… I was going on a date with Gajeel! Why did that make me feel so nervous that I wanted to vomit? I had been grinning all the way home the day before but now that it had finally sunk in that I was going on a date with him, I wanted to run away and never come back! What if Gajeel didn't even see this as a date? What if he thought we were just hanging out? No… overthinking things like that was going to do nothing but upset me!

I grabbed my bag, putting it down on my bed to look through it to make sure I had everything. A very familiar little baggy found its way into my hand and I picked it up to look at it, weighing it in my hand a little. It was the metal bracelet that I had bought in Hargeon. Without putting too much thought into it, I opened the little bag and fished out the bracelet, slipping it onto my left wrist.

"Book, wallet, glasses…" I nodded, closing my bag and hanging it on my shoulder, checking my reflection in the mirror one last time before walking out the door.

* * *

The sun was streaming down on Magnolia, basking it in a warm glow. The streets were buzzing with people of all shapes and sizes. Children ran past me, screaming something about our festival while their parents tried to keep tabs on them in the busy road. I took my time getting to the guild; one because I was prolonging the inevitable and two, because I really enjoyed the atmosphere in Magnolia. Everyone seemed so excited and chipper. It almost felt like those seven years had never passed, like Tenrou Island had been nothing but a bizarre dream.

I climbed the hill to Fairy Tail, hesitating once I passed the chicken pen. Lisanna had once again already fed the chickens and they were scurrying about eagerly, pecking at the floor in a way that made you think they hadn't been fed in weeks. I tore my eyes away from the feathered animals and peered over at the tavern that was now our guild. After coming back from Tenrou Island, the place had seemed so strange to me but by now, it had grown on me. Sure I still missed our old guild, but I loved this one too.

"Hey Levy!" I almost jumped out of my skin when Lucy came up behind me, wrapping her arms around me in a hug.

"Oh hey Lucy!" I greeted her back once I had recovered from my partial heart attack, "You're excited?"

"Yeah! It's the day of the festival, why would I not be excited?" She let go of me, coming to stand next to me instead. She glanced at the guild before returning her gaze to me, a question flickering into her brown eyes, "So why were you standing here staring at the guild?"

"Oh…" I let out a sheepish laugh, "Well I was just thinking about how much has changed since we came back from Tenrou Island." She nodded at that, a gentle smile playing at the corners of her mouth. "I get what you mean. It hasn't even been that long but it feels like half a lifetime. Especially with the stuff that happened with Gajeel." My stomach did an uncomfortable flip at the mention of his name and I lifted my hand to place it against the flat of my stomach. Lucy didn't seem to notice though and thus she was quick to continue talking, "So Erza wanted me to join her for the festival. Do you want to come along too? I'm sure Natsu will be there too with Happy and I think Wendy and Carla are joining us too."

"Well…" I looked at my feet that were pawing the ground self-consciously, "I actually… well I'm already going with someone." I could see her frown from the corner of my eye. It wasn't an upset frown, it was a confused one. I could almost picture her mind going through all the people I could have possibly chosen to go with. "Who are you going with?" She asked me and I felt my cheeks warm up in record speed. I wanted to run away to be honest. I hadn't actually ever said it out loud, that I was going on a date with Gajeel, so the thought made my stomach twist. "Levy?" Lucy urged me impatiently and I saw she was smiling again. I suspected she felt bad for me, seeing as I had morphed into a spluttering mess again. Why did that keep happening to me as of late? "Oh my word." And the penny dropped… "There's no way! Did he ask you? No there's no way, the guy is way too thick for that! So that means… oh my gosh did you actually ask Gajeel out on a date?!"

"Why don't you say that any louder?" I hushed her desperately, "Yeah well… I kind of went there yesterday because he hadn't come by all week and… well yeah I asked Gajeel out on a date." The excited flutter in my chest that I felt when I said those words was unexpected but surprisingly pleasant. It made me want to grin from ear to ear.

I had asked Gajeel out on a date.

I had asked him out and he had said yes…

"Oh wow…" Lucy breathed. Her eyes were huge and her face had attained a rather prominent red tone, "I can't believe you actually asked Gajeel out."

"Neither can I to be honest."

"So why did you? I mean I know _why_ I just don't know why now; you know?" I took a moment to consider her question, enjoying the warmth of the sun while I thought. "When Gajeel forgot about us, it broke my heart. I was afraid that I would never be able to tell the Gajeel I had fallen in love with how I truly felt. When he was back to normal, I decided that I would seize every opportunity I have to show him how much he means to me… before it's too late."

"Before it's too late huh?" I looked at Lucy, noting the sad look in her eyes. I wanted to ask her what was wrong, but she spoke up before I could, "I should probably take that to heart. With Natsu… you know?"

"Isn't he coming with you today?" I asked her and her eyes lit up immediately and she nodded, "So why don't you try and drop some hints and maybe even tell him?"

"It's a terrifying thought." She admitted and I laughed, nodding in total agreement. I was terrified too… I still didn't know how Gajeel felt about me. The last thing I wanted was to lose him because he got all creeped out that I liked him in a romantic way. Gosh why did Metalicana have to go and leave out the lesson on girls? It would have made my life so much easier if he had at least given Gajeel some romantic novels to read…

"So here it goes." Lucy hooked her arm with mine, tugging at me gently, "Let's get some lunch before we leave, kay?"

"Sounds good."

Was Gajeel at the guild already? Oh please let him not be! If I were to see him before lunch, I could just as well forget eating all together! The thought of seeing him was already enough to make me feel nauseous. This was ridiculous! I had read all about this thousands of times, why was I so nervous?

Lucy pushed the door to the guild open and it swung to the side, making space for us. She led me inside, not letting go of my arm for a moment. As soon as I was through the door, I was confronted with a wall of noise consisting of chattering, arguing and yelling. Figures that Gajeel, who was obviously there, was one of the people to yell the loudest. My eyes found him immediately and I bit down on my bottom lip nervously. He was standing at the back of the guild arguing with Natsu and Gray about something that seemed extremely trivial. Somehow he looked really good… oh gosh… I averted my eyes immediately when a swarm of butterflies erupted in my stomach. Lucy and I snuck to the bar where Mira was busy cleaning some plates while Lisanna helped her prepare lunch for the hungry guild members. "Hey you two!" Mira sang cheerily, putting down her plate to give us her undivided attention, "So are you ready for the festival today?" That's when my mind went back to what Laxus had said the day before. Hadn't Mira told him to play cupid in some sort of weird way? "We sure are!" Lucy piped up in an equally cheerful tone, "Could Levy and I have some lunch please?"

"Sure!" Mira gave Lisanna a signal who nodded, getting out two clean plates and piling some of the food she'd made onto the plates, "You're going to need all the strength you can get today."

"Totally will." I muttered and she laughed, taking the plates from Lisanna and putting them down in front of us. "Levy you're going to be fine."

"Thanks." I smiled at her, settling down on the barstool and picking up the knife and fork she had put down for me.

* * *

"Shrimp!" The forkful of mashed potatoes I had just attempted to swallow got stuck in my throat and I gagged to stop myself from chocking to death. Gajeel didn't seem to notice though because he grabbed my plate and pulled it away from me, shoving it down the bar top and completely out of my reach, "We're leaving."

"Wait what?"

"Lucy!" A fluff of pink hair entered my peripheral vision. Two arms were snaked over Lucy's shoulders and I saw her turn all sorts of different shades of red. "What do you want Natsu?!"

"C'mon let's go!" He whined and I saw Gajeel frown.

"Why do you two want to leave all of a sudden?" I asked Gajeel, forgetting my nervousness for a moment.

"I'm sick of dealing with that flame-head." He explained grumpily and I almost laughed. Why did I even bother asking? I had known that answer anyway. "Who are you calling flame-head?!" Natsu retorted. Lucy and I exchanged glances before getting up with heavy sighs. I moved to stand in front of Gajeel while she moved to stand in front of Natsu. "We have to wait for Erza, remember?" Lucy muttered edgily and I heard Natsu groan in reply. "Well? Are you ready then?" I asked Gajeel who was busy smirking at Natsu's dilemma of having to wait for Erza. His crimson eyes came to rest on me as soon as I was done talking and just like that, my nervousness was back and I began fidgeting with the bow on the front of my dress. "Yeah." He grabbed a hold of my hand, leading me to the exit without a moment's hesitation, not even giving me the opportunity to say goodbye to Droy and Jet. My heart set out for a moment and I tripped, stumbling forward a little. Once again Gajeel didn't seem to notice. His eyes were trained on the exit and his hand was wrapped around mine firmly.

Gajeel was holding my hand…

Did he maybe think of this as a date as well?

* * *

By the time we reached the main road where the festival was taking place, the street was packed with people! The decorations Lucy, Natsu, Wendy and the Exceeds had thought up were hung all over lampposts and street signs. Banners of all shapes and sized were hung all over, making the street look more colourful than it ever had. Lanterns were hung up on metal bars over the road for the evening. I knew whose idea that had been. Stands lined the street much like they had in Hargeon and all sorts of different smells mixed together in the air. I could smell soap and incense. The feint smell of freshly baked dangos made my stomach growl, reminding me that Gajeel had interrupted my lunchbreak. I glanced over at Gajeel. His eyes were taking in his surroundings and I noticed him take short deep breaths. He was taking in all the different smells with his strong sense of smell. Only then did I notice that his face didn't look quite as pale as it usually did thanks to a light shade of red on his cheeks. Was he blushing? My hand twitched in his and suddenly he stopped and I had his undivided attention. His eyes were on mine and he cocked his head to the side ever the slightest in an unspoken question. "Oh um…" I bit down on the inside of my cheek for a short moment, averting my eyes when I felt my stomach twist again. "I was just wondering what you want to do now?" His non-existent eyebrows furrowed slightly and he took in a deep breath. Had he even heard my question? His hand disappeared from mine and picked up my other arm, holding it up for him to look at. He eyed the metal bracelet I had put on critically. "Since when do ya wear stuff like this Shrimp?"

"I uh…" Don't splutter! Don't splutter! "I found it in… well actually I bought it in Hargeon." Well so much for not making me look like an idiot! I was almost tempted to find a wall to hit my head against! My mind was racing and my heart was beating in my throat. I had never been this nervous around Gajeel before! It's just… for some reason he looked so incredibly attractive! Don't get me wrong, he'd always looked attractive to me but this was somehow different. "When'd you do that?"

"When we were at the festival remember?"

"Oh before you got yourself kidnapped?" My eyes narrowed and he smirked in response, knowing he'd irritated me with that stupid question.

"Yeah… well thanks to that we found the girl didn't we?" I retorted and he chuckled, taking a hold of my hand again. "No need to get all defense there short-stuff."

"Yeah whatever."

"Well don't worry." His grip on my hand tightened, "I won't let you out of my sight today." I let out a slow breath to calm myself while my face must have gone the deepest shade of red that it had ever gone before. How could he say something like that so casually? Didn't he know what that did to me? It reminded me of what he had said about finding someone as small as me. It was sort of the same… even back then he'd looked out for me…

"Well then-," I pulled his arm over to me, hugging it the way I had when we were in Hargeon, "-let's go then tough guy!" I pulled him through the crowd and he let me, a gentle smirk on his face.

* * *

Our first stop was the merchant stand with the incense. Gajeel had pulled a face, complaining about how much all of it stank. To say the least, the merchant hadn't been too impressed. After that we went from one stand to the next. I was amazed at how many merchants had actually pitched! The festival was even bigger than Hargeon Festival had been! I even spotted some wizards and mages from other guilds roaming around, looking at all the different goodies to buy. "Hey Gajeel?" He looked at me and I knew that that was as much of a reply as I was going to get, "Are there any food stalls around here?"

"Ya hungry?"

"Well yeah since someone didn't let me finish my lunch."

"It was either that or kill Salamander." He reasoned with me and I laughed lightly, shaking my head at him.

"You guys should try arguing less." I stated before giving him an expectant look. He rolled his eyes.

"There's a dump selling stuff over there." He pointed in the direction of Magnolia Southgate Park and I nodded, letting him lead the way there. We dodged through the crowd and I noticed that Gajeel made sure that my path was clear and that there was no-one who could bump into me. When I looked up at the sky, I could see that the sun was starting to set already. It made me a little sad. I wasn't ready for the day to be over. I looked over at Gajeel again, watching the way the orange glow from the sun fell onto his face and reflected in his eyes. I quickened my pace so that I was walking next to him again, walking so close to him that I could hug his arm again. I didn't see him look over at me when I did this, a surprised sparkle in his eyes. We continued to walk in silence until we got to the food stand that was selling all sorts of different baked food items. "What do ya want?" Gajeel asked me and I scrutinized every item carefully before picking a pastry filled with Bolognese sauce. I was more than surprised when Gajeel handed over the jewels to pay for what I had ordered. I took my pastry from the merchant with a flustered smile. We continued to walk in silence while I stared down at my food. I knew it was going to taste extra good, not because of the merchant but because Gajeel had bought it for me. He'd never bought anything for me so this… this was kind of special. We continued to walk until we got to the stairs that clung to the embankment of Magnolia Southgate Park. I almost gasped when I saw the large tree in the middle. Natsu and Lucy and probably Happy as well had hung up strings of golden lights in the tree, illuminating it in such a way that it looked like thousands of light bugs had landed on the leaves. Torches that were already burning brightly in the evening dusk were placed all across the lawn. "Wow." I breathed, trying to take it all in at once. I snapped back to reality when Gajeel started walking down the stairs and I hurried to catch up to him, not wanting to let go of his arm just yet. At the far right of the park, two merchants had their stands built up. One was selling food while the other was selling drinks. The two merchants were chatting away happily, sometimes involving customers in their jubilant chatter. "You wanna sit so you can eat?" Gajeel asked me and I nodded distractedly, still too awestruck by the sight before me to really register what he was saying. He led me to the base of the tree and the two of us settled down with our backs against the trunk. "Aren't you hungry?" I asked him, just having swallowed a huge gulp of pasty, which by the way, tasted _amazing_! "Nah. They got no food with iron so I don't feel like it." He muttered. "I can make you some?" He turned his head to look at me but didn't say anything. His eyes were a little wider than usual and his mouth hung open slightly, "Well?" I added when he hadn't given me an answer and he grunted, averting his eyes defiantly, "Okay fine." I lifted my free hand, writing the words iron in the air in small, delicate letters. They sparkled a little before turning into a sold piece of iron that Gajeel caught with ease. "Uh… thanks."

He mumbled before shoving the entire 'I' of the word into his mouth and biting it off completely. "You could have just asked you know?" I laughed and he smirked lightly before focusing on the iron I had just made him.

We ate in silence, each of us enjoying our meal. By the time we were done, the sun had set completely yet the park was illuminated by the warm glow of the lights our guildmates had put up.

"Hey Gajeel?" I crumpled up the paper bag the pastry had been in before shoving it into my shoulder bag.

"Hm?"

"Thanks for coming with me." I pulled my knees up to my chest, feeling a little awkward saying something like that to someone like Gajeel, "I wasn't sure you were going to come along because you hadn't shown up at the guild all week."

"Yeah." He mumbled, "Why'd you ask me and not your cheerleaders?" Why did he have to ask it like that? My heart was racing again and I became incredibly nervous. I wanted to tell him the truth. Wasn't that the reason I had asked him in the first place? I wanted to tell him how I felt didn't I? Then why were the words stuck in my throat? Why couldn't I get my mouth to open? I had to tell him! I had to take this chance! Who knows if I'd ever get a chance like this again and yet my mouth wouldn't move. What could I do to tell him… to show him how much I cared?

Before I knew what my body was doing, I had taken a hold of his black coat and had pulled him closer to me. I didn't give myself enough time to look at his face before I pushed my lips against his as gently as I could. His lips froze for a moment and I pulled away, afraid that I had done something he hadn't wanted. I covered my mouth with my hand, backing away and getting up clumsily. "I am so sorry!" I blurted out, tears coming to my eyes, "I don't know what I… I'm sorry!" He got up slowly, obviously taking his time. Once he was up, he came to stand directly in front of me. His face betrayed absolutely nothing and I backed up against the tree trunk nervously. "I said I was sorry Gajeel!" I repeated and just then a razor sharp smirk spread across his face. He had the same look in his eyes as he had after I had taken the shower and just like it had back then, my body became jittery and I became even more nervous. With a quiet chuckle he placed one hand on each side of my head against the tree trunk, leaning closer to me until our noses were touching. "Why're ya apologizing for something that 'aint bad?" And with that he closed the small distance between our lips, capturing mine in a passionate yet surprisingly gentle kiss. He tasted like iron. I took a hold of his coat, clinging onto him almost desperately, trying to stop my legs from giving way. Honestly I could have melted away right then and there. It felt like nothing I could have even dreamt up in my wildest dreams. It felt perfect, right, warm, comforting and loving! "I love you." I whispered against his lips and although he hesitated for a moment, the kiss that ensued was more passionate than the one before, becoming deeper and deeper. His tongue traced my bottom lip and I shivered, opening my mouth and letting his tongue explore my own.

Once he had pulled away, still with the same look in his eyes, and once I had managed to catch my breath, we moved to sit down again. This time I was sitting on his lap though and he wrapped his strong arms around my waist. "So that means you…?" I was the first to speak up. He chuckled, burying his face in my chest, nuzzling the skin covering my collarbone gently. "I didn't want to be selfish." He started slowly, "I hurt you on the first day that we met and I harmed your guild, your family. I hurt your friends and that although ya asked me not to. Worst part is… I enjoyed it." I wrapped my arms around his neck, running my fingers through his thick black hair comfortingly, waiting for him to continue. "You deserve someone who doesn't hurt you Shrimp and it would selfish of me to want you all to myself. Problem is… I'm a selfish bastard."

"What are you saying Gajeel?" He pulled away to look me in the eyes again and my chest tightened when I saw the pain in his crimson eyes.

"I want you Levy. I've wanted you ever since we fought Laxus at the cathedral."

"Then why didn't you say something? Or show me?!" I blurted out helplessly, placing a hand on each of his cheeks, "Why did you wait until I made the first move?"

"Because I didn't think you'd want a guy like me." A guy like him. I wanted to laugh at that. I wanted to shake him until he snapped out of it and realized what an amazing man he had become. I was actually even a little angry at him for talking like that about himself. "There's no other type of guy I could have fallen in love with." I admitted, ignoring my cheeks that were burning like a furnace, "So be selfish Gajeel! I want you to be selfish!"

"Fine then. From now on, you're all mine." He whispered before pressing his lips against mine again in a kiss that lasted longer than the first and showed me exactly how much Gajeel really did care.

Gajeel had never been one for words so telling me that he loved me too was probably a bit too much for him at that point. He showed me though. He showed me that he loved me with every kiss and with every touch. Only then did I realize that he had loved me for a long time but that I had been too blind to see it.

"Damn Shrimp I don't think I can get enough of ya."

"Oh my gosh Gajeel don't say something like that in public!" I covered my face with my hands and he chuckled.

"We've been makin' out in public so where's that any different?"

"Oh man I totally forgot that we were still in the park!" I buried my face in his chest and this time he laughed, wrapping his arms around me in a tight hug. "I'm never letting you go again short-stuff."

"But why me?" I asked him, holding onto him a little more tightly, afraid that all of this was a dream that I was about to wake up from, "I'm so small and defenseless."

"You 'aint small."

"But-."

"You've always been big. You're just the only one who didn't see it." He assured me quietly and I felt tears come to my eyes, "And the defenseless part… well you got me to look after ya."

"S-stupid Gajeel…" I whispered, lifting my head to look at him again.

"Why the hell are ya crying?" He asked me, pulling a face that made me want to hit him but I knew that that wouldn't leave much of an impression on him anyway so I left it. "Just shut up and kiss me Gajeel!"

"You 'aint have to tell me that twice princess." And then he cupped my face in his rough hands and kissed me.

So there we sat, underneath the same tree he had pinned me to those many, many months back and I think it's safe to assume that things were very different this time around. While we sat there, cuddling and kissing, I thought back to what Lucy had told me about how it could only have been Gajeel that I would fall for. She had been so right about that! Although it took me a long time to realize it, looking back now I know that it had only ever been Gajeel from the moment he had joined our guild.

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 **[I reposted this chapter because I felt the end was really rushed and when it was pointed out to me I realized I can't end the story here so I'll be posting some more chapters]**

Thank you so much for your reviews on the chapter before it was changed and also the reviews on the previous chapters! I can't wait to post the next chapter! I really hope you guys enjoyed it up until now!


	16. Epilogue

Hey everyone! So after I was asked to write a little more for this ff although I had actually intended Chapter 15 to be the last, I decided to add a little. Thank you so, so much for all your reviews!

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Epilogue

My eyes flew open with a start and I found myself sitting upright in my warm bed. The sun was shining in through my half-drawn curtains and I could hear a few birds singing outside. It was only then that I registered the banging on my door, identifying the cause for my abrupt start to my day. I ran my hands over my face in an attempt to banish my drowsiness. I felt something slide down my lower arm and I pulled my hands away from my face to look. My mouth twitched into a fond smile when I saw the little metal bracelet I was still wearing.

So it hadn't been a dream after all, huh? Gajeel really felt the same way about me than I feel about him? Well he had kissed me so I guess it was safe to assume that he did. "Come on Levy! I know you're in there so open the damn door!" I removed myself from my candy floss daydream and forced myself out of bed, pulling over my morning gown before opening the door for my very worked-up friend. Lucy was wearing a white tank top that stuck to her figure. She had chosen a black, fluffy skirt and a pair of black sandals to match her outfit. A black bow was tied around her one-sided pigtail. "In- now!" She pushed me back into my room, not even bothering with a hello before shutting the door and looking at me, crossing her arms over her chest. I waited for her to start but she continued to scrutinize me with those big brown eyes of hers, a gentle frown playing at her lips and pulling her perfect eyebrows together slightly. "So uhm… what can I help you with Lu-chan?" I asked, taking a seat on my bed and gesturing for her to join me. She did, not before giving me another critical once-over. "You didn't call last night." She stated. I took a double-take, wondering if I had somehow landed in the wrong film. Why was she looking at me like an offended girlfriend? "Did I promise to do that?" I asked her a little sheepishly. Guilt was creeping up on me and that without me even being perfectly sure that I had done something wrong. I guess that was a super power of hers. Something she often used against Natsu to get him to chill out. "Well it ended up kind of late last night…" I offered her a half-hearted explanation and she quirked an eyebrow, encouraging me to continue, "I was… with Gajeel remember?" She nodded, "And well we went to Magnolia Southgate Park and sat underneath the tree…" I let my voice trail off when my cheeks heated up. As if she had just woken up from a daze, her facial expression morphed from angry into that of an excited teenage girl ready to talk about her crush from school. Her hands found my shoulders and she shook me slightly before speaking up. "Oh my word! Okay you're forgiven! Just please, tell me everything!" And so I did. I told her about how Gajeel had bought me food and how _good_ it had tasted. I told her about how electrifying it had felt to kiss Gajeel and how surprisingly soft his lips were. I told her about his smile, about his laugh and about all the different things we had spoken about for the rest of the night. We had lost track of time completely! It was only once the lights in the tree were turned off that we decided to call it a night. Gajeel had insisted on walking me back home and who was I to object? He walked me right up to Fairy Hills, placing a long, gentle kiss on my lips before offering me a smirk and wishing me a good night. It had taken me a while to fall asleep, letting the entire evening play back in my mind over and over again, all the while having a huge smile on my face. Eventually, when my face hurt from all the smiling I had been doing, I had buried my face in my pillow and had eventually managed to calm my fluttering heart down enough for me to actually fall asleep.

"I can't believe he actually kissed you." She breathed. Her face had broken out into a bright blush and her eyes were shimmering, "Wow… Gajeel kissing you…" No, she obviously couldn't quite wrap her mind around it though, to be fair, neither could I. It felt more like some wonderful, too-good-to-be-true kind of dream that I had had but the bracelet around my arm reminded me that it had been real. An excited flutter built up in my stomach when I thought about seeing Gajeel again, for him to hold me again, to kiss me again. "So how about we get you ready then?" She seemed to snap out of it, her bright eyes filled with all sorts of ideas that I suspectedhad something to do with me.

"Get me ready?"

"Yeah. Come on! Get up Levy!"

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An hour later I was walking through Magnolia wearing my crepe coloured dress that had black frills lining the edges around my collarbones and the bottom. The colour was the perfect shade to go well with my hair and so was the black headband and my loose black arm warmers. Lucy had managed to convince me into wearing my small black boots that sported a slight heel, making my legs look longer and more slender. I'm not sure why she insisted I dress up like that but I was sure she had some sort of weird plan in her mind. Well, I mean I _did_ feel really pretty. I had a spring in my step anyway seeing as I was on my way to see my… wait… was Gajeel my boyfriend now? We hadn't quite established that yet.

Boyfriend.

The word made my stomach make an excited summersault and I bit down on my bottom lip.

It didn't take long for us to reach the hill and Lucy and I made our way up slowly, enjoying the cool breeze that swept through our hair and caressed our skin gently. "Are you ready to see your man?" She nudged me and it felt like fireworks went off in my stomach. I stumbled a step or two before coming to a clumsy halt and I lifted my hands to cover my cheeks. "Don't say it like that Lu-chan!" I whispered anxiously, trying to get my heart back to beating normally. She laughed at me endearingly, capturing me in her arm that she wound around my waist and began pulling me towards the quaint tavern. She pushed the doors open before letting me in first and I thanked her quietly before near to staggering in nervously. I stopped as soon as Lucy was through the door, my eyes sweeping the crowd, looking for black hair and red eyes.

I found Gajeel sitting at the bar with Natsu, arguing about something- what a surprise. When Lucy spotted Natsu, I saw her stiffen and back away a little. Did Natsu maybe have something to do with the bad mood she had had when she arrived at my room earlier that day? I wanted to frown but seeing Gajeel evoked such joy in me that I couldn't help but grin like a fool. I took Lucy's hand absentmindedly and forced her to follow me to the bar. As soon as we got a little closer, I saw something in Gajeel shift and he immediately interrupted the argument and turned to face us. "Thought it was you." His lips pulled back to reveal his smirk and his eyes swept over me a few times until they came to rest on mine. I felt like my body was burning up with embarrassment. I wasn't used to someone look at me like that. I wanted to have Virgo's powers so that I could dig a hole and disappear but from the looks of it I was going to have to endure that hungry and appreciative look in Gajeel's eyes a little longer. This was why she made me wear the dress, isn't it? She knew that Gajeel would like it. "Hey!" Natsu complained, obviously upset by the lack of attention he was suddenly getting from Gajeel. When he turned to see who could have possibly yanked Gajeel right out of their _very important_ argument, his eyes fell on Lucy immediately. He held eye contact for a moment before averting his eyes and running a hand through his pink hair. I let my eyes pan between the two of them for a moment, wondering what could have possibly happened between the two of them to make things so awkward. I wasn't able to wonder that for much longer though before a hand took a hold of my wrist and pulled me closer. Suddenly I found myself standing in between Gajeel's legs while he sat on his barstool. His fingers traced the sides of my torso before coming to rest on my hips, holding on to me as though he was afraid I would back away. "Good morning Gajeel." I smiled at him and his smirk widened a little.

"Mornin' Shrimp." He let out a hardly audible _'gihi'_ before capturing me in a surprisingly gentle yet almost inappropriately passionate kiss.

"Okay what the hell?!" I had to pull away, not able to stifle the laugh that escaped me at Natsu's obvious shock at what he was seeing. He looked downright horrified! "Oh come on Natsu!" Lucy put her hands on her hips, "At least Gajeel _shows_ the girl he loves that he loves her!" My mind went back to what Lucy had said about dropping hints at the festival. Could it be that she had tried but that Natsu hadn't quite understood or maybe even misunderstood? I could imagine that Lucy must have told him but he had failed to reciprocate those feelings. That must be it. That's why things were so awkward between the two of them. "So kissing is showing you love someone?"

"Wow…" Gajeel huffed disdainfully, leaning forward and taking a deep breath to take in what my hair smelt like, "Even I knew that Salamander"

"Shut up Gajeel!" Natsu retorted, all red-faced and worked up. His eyes panned between the three of us for a moment before they rested on Lucy, "Fine then! I'll kiss you!" Natsu announced. Lucy's eyes grew wide and her mouth dropped open. I had never seen Lucy turn that red in such a short amount of time; I was even a little worried about her. She looked like she was moments away from feinting. "W…what? Don't be an idiot Natsu!" She stuttered but Natsu had already hopped off his bar chair and was now standing directly in front of Lucy. His face had straightened out completely and he looked more serious than I had seen him look since Tenrou Island. It was like he finally knew how to show her how much he cared, like he'd been looking for a way, other than saving her all the time, to show her how much she meant for him. "Right here?" She asked him when he lifted his hands to frame her face gently. "Right here. Right now." He muttered before leaning forward and pushing his lips to hers a little awkwardly. At first it looked like he wasn't quite sure what to do but after only a few seconds his lips were guiding hers and she leant forward, pushing against him and snaking her arms around his neck, burying her hands in his scarf. "Natsu?! Why the hell are you kissing Lucy man?" Suddenly both Erza and Gray were all over the new couple, questioning them. Well… Erza was threatening Natsu more than anything, saying if he ever broke Lucy's heart, that she would do something or other to every bone in his body… well let's just say I stopped listening there. I heard Gajeel chuckle and his hold on me tightened. I averted my gaze back to him, finding him looking down at me calmly. I'd never seen Gajeel quite that serene before. It made me snuggle up to him a little, not caring that the whole guild could see us, and placing a gentle peck on his lips. "What'd I do to deserve that one ey Shrimp?"

"Nothing." I smiled up at him, "You don't always have to do things to deserve something." I reminded him gently before something came to my mind. I pulled away slightly, as much as Gajeel would let me before pulling the bracelet that was around my wrist off. I held it up for Gajeel who let go of me only reluctantly to take the bracelet. "What'cha giving this to me for?"

"It's not to eat!" I exclaimed when he held it up in front of his face and he snorted but nodded his head, eyeing it curiously, "Remember when I told you that I bought it in Hargeon? Well I actually bought it as a present for you. It's just... I've never really had the guts to give it to you." His eyes left the bracelet and instead came to rest on my eyes. They were slightly wider than usual, reflecting his obvious surprise. "Thanks Levy." The words slipped out of his mouth so quietly that I almost missed them. I watched him take off his glove before sliding the bracelet over his hand. He held up his arm to appraise the bracelet, smirking approvingly before sliding his glove back on. Once he had done that he kissed me again, once again showing me how thankful he was more than saying it and I came out of the kiss flustered and thus I ended up blurting out the first thing that came to my mind.

"So what do we do now?"

"Well if I'm gonna protect your cute ass I'm gonna have to come on more jobs with you." I wasn't sure which part flustered me more; the part about my 'ass' being cute or about him wanting to come on more jobs with me. So, unable to decide, I lowered my eyes, looking down at my hands that were fidgeting with a loose strand hanging off of his black coat. Wasn't being around Gajeel supposed to be easier now that he knew how I felt? It was like he purposefully said things to fluster me, like he loved the way I looked when I blushed… that was it wasn't it? That's exactly why he was doing it.

That's exactly why he'd always teased me like that…

"Stupid Gajeel…" I muttered, puffing up my cheeks like a sulking child.

"Before ya start sulking again-," he got up, scooping me up and throwing me over his shoulder effortlessly, "-let's get going Shrimp! We got jobs to finish!" Oh my gosh! I clung onto the fabric covering his lower back while the blood rushed to my head and I felt my pulse resonate through my skull. Gajeel's arm was thankfully placed in such a way that it held the skirt of my dress down, conserving the little dignity I had left after being carried through the guild like a sack of potatoes with everyone watching. "Put me down Gajeel!"

"Ya walk too slow with those tiny legs of yours." He countered and I bit my tongue, especially when I saw Jet and Droy watching us. Jet was laughing and Droy was smiling fondly. Why weren't they helping me?! Why wasn't anyone helping me? Not even Laxus! Who, surprise, surprise, was sitting at a table with Mira who had a very smug look on her face. I hit him against the back, flailing more than hitting from the feel of it, giving up when I realized that it was all to no avail. He walked right up to our request board, snatching the first request that he found and gestured to Lily to follow us. The Exceed had been watching from the table he'd shared with Carla.

"Aren't you going to ask my opinion on any of this?!" I exclaimed, flailing a little more for emphasis.

"Nope." He'd already carried me out of the guild by now and we were already heading down the hill, Lily hovering next to my head. For some reason he looked even less concerned than any of the people in the guild had looked. "You can't just do this Gajeel!" I continued to complain and he chuckled, tapping against my bum with his hand, this making me burying my face in his back.

Stupid, stupid, stupid Gajeel!

"Hey Gajeel my headband is slipping!"

"Hold on to it then Shrimp!"

"Can't you just put me down?! I can walk perfectly on my own!"

"Not happenin'."

There were still a lot of things I didn't understand about dragon slayers. What I did finally understand though, was that the dragons didn't have to teach them about love after all because they were perfectly capable of loving and caring for someone- they had an instinct to. And although they showed it in unique and strange ways and sometimes needed help expressing exactly what they feel, I was certain that no other person I would ever meet would love me more than Gajeel did and still does. No-one would protect me more fiercely than Gajeel and no-one would make my heart skip a beat the way Gajeel always managed to do.

From the very start, from the moment he had joined the guild, I had always kept an eye out for him. Somehow I had always been aware of his presence. At first I had thought it was because I was afraid of him but after he saved me on numerous occasions and my awareness for him didn't vanish, I realized that maybe there was more to it than that.

And now I finally understood what Jet and Lucy had meant when they had said 'who else if not Gajeel'. Because really, who else would I have fallen in love with? There was no-one else that managed to make me that furious and yet so happy at the same time. It was Gajeel and it always had been.

That stupid, annoying, arrogant dragon slayer who had singlehandedly destroyed our guild hall all those years back.

That dragon slayer that had protected me from Laxus on more than one occasion and that dragon slayer who had saved my life on Tenrou Island.

I stopped flailing, taking a moment to enjoy the smell of Gajeel's cologne that clung to his clothing. I enjoyed the warmth of his second hand that was wrapped around my one ankle. I enjoyed the way his long black hair tickled my back just below my neck

I didn't even mind that I was hanging head down like a sack of potatoes. Although Gajeel was pretty much kidnapping me and forcing me to come on this job with him, I knew I wouldn't have dreamt of saying no if he had asked me before carrying me off. In fact, I felt excitement bubble up in me at the thought of going on a job with him; at the thought of going on a job with my boyfriend, my partner. I felt a smile spread across my face.

"I love you… Stupid Gajeel." I whispered, letting him carry me off to wherever we were going without another word of protest.

It had always been Gajeel… and I wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

 **-The End-**

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Aaaalright! Well there you have it guys! I might, if I ever feel like writing a short something or other on Gajeel and Levy, add some more short stories/ one-shots on to this story of their mission or whatever follows with some fluff for you guys. I just can't tell you when that'll be. It'll all depend on my mood or sudden bursts of inspiration. xD

I want to thank every one of you sincerely for all your amazing support! This is the first fanfiction I have ever posted and getting such amazing feedback really surprised me and really inspired me to keep writing and posting some other fanfictions! If you have any requests of fanfictions and one-shots you'd like me to write of other pairings or animes, inbox me!

I really, really hope you enjoyed my Gajevy FF and I hope you'll stick around for some of the other fanfictions I'm working on!

Love you guys lots!

Thanks again for reading this fanfiction! You guys rock!


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